A glorious example of marketing nonsense

There’s a lot of guff that gets written about brands. So much, in fact, that most of it is unremarkable.

But every now and then you see something that stands out in this highly competitive field of guff and nonsense. Something truly gufftastic.

The other day, I read this (in a respected marketing publication, no less).

Sigh. Where to start?

Well, if you’re reading this, it’s likely that you are: a) a solitary being, and b) currently alive. So I guess that makes you an ‘individual of today’. And thus I put it to you: are you ‘connected and empowered’?

Since you probably have no idea what that means (neither do I), let’s just assume you are.

So, connected and empowered individual, what’s your rationale when you choose a brand – sorry, I mean allow a brand into your life?

I’m guessing that your answer might be something like: ‘I use stuff I’ve used before’, or ‘I sometimes buy something if I’ve seen an ad for it’, or maybe even ‘I get whatever’s on the shelf’.

None of which involves the brand’s ‘values, behaviours and vision’.

Yes, of course there are exceptions. There are times when these things do matter to people (*cough* VW).

But the fact is, most people put much less thought into brand selection than what marketers think they do.

Fortunately, some people immediately recognise marketing guff when they see it. When I posted the above excerpt on Twitter, it swiftly got what it deserved (from people who definitely know their onions).

Enjoy.

By Ryan Wallman, Head of Copy at Wellmark.

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