Media Emerging

Dear Marketing Department:

It has come to our attention that you’ve been experimenting with some new ways of reaching out to customers. Blogs, Twitter, YouTube…they’re all the rage. We get it.

We’ve been down this road before, you and us. Remember when the fax machine came out? It was gonna change the world! You rushed right out and bought one. It would spit and churn and tie up the phone line, but by God, it was gonna take us to the next level.

It helped. Sorta. For a while.

Oh, and the Internet! Or the World Wide Web, as we called it back then. “We’re gonna be on the Internet!” you shouted jubilantly. Orders would be streaming in from China and Japan!

Okay, so we dreamed big.

Now they say “social media” is the next big thing. It’s all about the SpaceBook and the MyFace and what-have-you. It’s about “conversation” and “engaging” and giving your friends a virtual cactus.

Who needs advertising when you can send a virtual cactus?

Anyway, back to our point: Your shoes are still here for you, reliable as ever. Sure, we lack the excitement of a YouTube video or the sizzle of Twitter, but we’re still a great way to connect with customers.

When you started your business, who was there for you? That’s right: Your shoes. Every step you took, we took. We were there when you landed your first account, hired your first employee, and turned your first profit. Boom or bust, we were by your side (or under foot, but you get the point).

So don’t forget about us…we’re part of your marketing team, too. Pound the pavement. Hit the streets. Knock on doors and visit your VIPs. You know…meet with people “IRL”? (That stands for “in real life,” right?)

We’ll be with you every step of the way.

Sincerely,

Your Shoes

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on April 27. Then, like an idiot, I accidentally deleted it. Oops.

The #1 trending topic on Twitter today is Swine Flu. It’s the top story on Digg and CNN.com, too. For a fun experiment, do a Twitter search for Swine Flu and watch the real-time results update every few seconds.

Folks everywhere are buzzing. I think the paranoia and panic is absurd, but that’s not the point. The point is that people are worried. Only 73 human cases of Swine Flu have been reported worldwide — 1 case for every 100 million people on Earth, give or take. And yet, driven by fear, the disease is the most talked about topic in the world today.

There’s a valuable lesson here: That which touches an emotional nerve generates buzz.

Now take a look at your marketing. What emotional nerve do you touch? What problem do you solve? Your customers experience fear, pride, loneliness, greed, joy, anxiety and hope every day. How does you connect with your customers’ emotional needs?

I’m not suggesting you misrepresent your product as a cure for Swine Flu. On the contrary: It would border on unethical to stoke the flames of panic for your own profit. But it is okay to understand what moves people. Watching the conversation run rampant about Swine Flu is a good reminder that emotion, not intellect, is what drives people.

Agree? Disagree? Sound off!