“Hey, who interrupted me?”
Great post on Advertising Age website titled: Why Interruption Still Trumps Engagement.
The key to the blog is the closing and I think it is worth your read because it gives yet another view of social media’s critics.
The author, Mr. Jonathan Salem Baskin, states the social-media revolution based on three assumptions:
- Ads aren’t credible so they can’t play a meaningful role in our conversations with consumers;
- Consumers don’t want to be bothered or intruded; and
- Entertainment is an alternative to selling
The premise he revisits is that social media delivers what consumers truly want: to engage with customers, instead of getting interrupted by advertisers and brands.
Mr. Baskin believes social media does not address consumer needs. Namely, what consumers need to know, but may not have asked for, such as:
- Relevance
- Immediacy
- Meaning – in their terms
Mr. Baskin goes on to state that brands have always managed consumer needs through their conversations, conversations delivered most strongly through broadcast TV.
He ends the blog with this: “I’d choose effective interruption over pointless engagement anytime. Why wouldn’t you?”
Of course any strategy that relies on manipulation and half-truths, whether brand marketing’s traditional channels or social media’s channels, should never indict the tool, but indict the manipulator.
Marketing engagement buried under interruption marketing.
Marketing Engagement, Mr, Trump
To me, he has not come close to make a case that interruption marketing does, indeed, trump engagement marketing models of social media.
Lastly, always consider the source. In this case the source of this blog is Advertising Age and guess who benefits with the whole social media is a farce argument: deep pocket brands and channels struggling to provide value? Who do you think Advertising Age reader demographic are?
Let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water.
Have I engaged you? What are your thoughts?
Mr. Baskin’s comment: “I’d choose effective interruption over pointless engagement anytime”, is key, to me.
What really is pointless engagement? Is his case clearly made? Well, you give it a once-over…
Note: this post continues in A key to why so many companies blow it in social media? where Mr. Jonathan Salem Baskin contributes to a spirited comment section.
Communication in the Age of Saturation Series:
- Preamble: Marketing 2.0 – You better free your mind instead
- Communication in the age of saturation, part 1
- Communication in the age of saturation, part 2
- Communication in the age of saturation, part 3
- Epilogue: Marketing interruption still trumps engagement, really?
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