Rant of the week
My friend and fellow agency owner Dan Dunlap recently asked when he could expect my next blog rant. Well Dan, this one’s for you. Here are five things that are rant-worthy today. Tomorrow’s another day.
1. Mommy bloggers
I’m all for understanding this influential group and the power they may have for swaying consumers, so nothing against women with children who build communities on the Internet. I just hate the name – “mommy bloggers.” Go ahead, say it out loud – “mommy bloggers.” It’s so very cloying and irritating. I put it in the same category as “veggies” (“who wants veggies for lunch? me me me!”) or “tot” (“me and the tot had a great time at the museum of modern art today”).
2. Social media will save the world.
I’m on Facebook and advocate it for clients. I‘m also on Twitter (@intervalchris) though I’m finding its value is diminishing over time. So I’m no social media hater. It’s just that for some folks, it’s social media or the highway. All other channels are dismissed as outmoded and/or offensive, and social media is held up as the savior media that shall lead us all to the promised land of ultimate customer connection. Let’s just take a pill, shall we?
3. Kit Kat bars.
Seriously, who likes the Kit Kat bar? It’s that time of year when the bowl of leftover Halloween candy is empty, and I’m relegated to raiding the kids’ bags of treats. And all that’s left are Kit Kat bars and Laffy Taffys. There’s not even a stinking SweetTart or Tootsie Pop to be found. Damn.
4. Calling something ROI
An oldie but a goody. Please, please, PLEASE, for the love of all that is holy in marketing, can we not refer to non-financial marketing results as ROI ever again? As in, “Fourteen people stopped in a local strip mall said they like our ads, which was fantastic ROI.” There are many ways to demonstrate the effectiveness of marketing (including strip-mall patron feedback), but unless that effectiveness is based on the actual number of dollars brought into the organization, less the expense of the effort, don’t call it ROI. Your CEO and CFO will thank you.
5. Megalists
Clearly, I’m a fan of the list. It’s always great to summarize an idea or message (or rant) using three or five key points. And David Letterman’s had great success with ten. But what’s with these lists that have ridiculously high numbers of points? “27 ways to leave a blog comment” or “99 tactics for using a pencil to connect with patients.” How can anyone find any value in gigantor lists? Who can remember the 75 ways to use Twitter to increase gall bladder surgery volumes? As with jobs, children’s activities and fancy hats, it’s all about quality, not quantity.
Kit Kats are the best damn candy EVER. You just picked a fight my friend!
You should read my latest blog post: “Are Mommy Bloggers on Facebook Your Hospital’s Kit Kat? See What These 101 ROI Metrics Reveal.”
Sorry. Couldn’t resist.
[...] preface his comments by acknowledging the power of the mommy blog. Here’s an excerpt from his blog post (very funny and well worth a read): I’m all for understanding this influential group and the [...]