Tick the box marketing

It is the same old story – can I have two of the latest fads for my marketing mix please sir. The amount of times clients, and marketers in general, want to jump on the newest bandwagon that is going through town to feel that they are at the cutting edge of marketing is unreal. Over the last couple of years it has been Green/eco-marketing, Cause Related Marketing or social marketing. Without really understanding the tools or thinking about how it can sit in their mix, marketers just lump it in and feel that they are driving their brands forward. When done well it is very effective, when done poorly or for the sake of it, it is transparent and fake – which are criticisms launched at marketers too often and usually for the right reasons.

I am all for including new tools but only when the rationale is correct. The reason for this post/rant is an article I read this morning from Steve Rubel (Director of Insights with Edelman and all around Mr. Online Marketing). Steve makes some valid points about using blogs and social marketing in your PR plans and it is well worth the read and also a moment or two to think about it.