Something Worth Talking About

Advertising is what we do when there is nobody to see.

In real life, when we meet with a friend or a stranger we’re usually not there with our hand out. Maybe you are. But I would guess that you’re there to share something with them. A story. Your thoughts about the Baylor game. The weather. A meal. Something.

But for some reason, advertising likes to show up on your doorstep both uninvited and asking for something. Not always a good combination.

In real life, we’ve gotten good at ignoring unwanted messages. We use caller ID to screen calls; we have TiVo to speed past commercials, and we use Sirius Radio to hear only the music we want. We even have a SPAM button in our Inbox to punish those who send us unsolicited email.

The moral of this story: Don’t demand attention until you have something good to share. When you create value, the rest takes care of itself.