The Hindu Business Line : ‘Get back to no-nonsense principles’

‘Punk marketing’ is not jargon, it’s a simple description of the need to get back to a set of no-nonsense principles at a time when there has been a huge shift in power from corporation to consumer.

Richard Laermer and Mark Simmons

D. Murali
C. Ramesh

Companies often don’t take the time to understand distinct cultures

The world of marketing is in perennial evolution, 24x7. Every day there are new terms to learn and old ones to unlearn, new tricks to acquire and others to discard ... in fact, every marketing pack rat has to keep running to stand still.

After decades in marketing, during which time they were exposed to dangerously high levels of toxic jargon and fad frenzy, Richard Laermer and Mark Simmons did what any smart marketer could have but did not: they coined the term Punk Market ing and demystified what they had figured out, in a seminal work (cleverly) titled Punk Marketing.

Speaking to Brand Line in an exclusive interview, the duo dwelt at length on what’s hot and what’s not, and why, in today’s world. Excerpts:

Why is the world of marketing not able to rid itself of jargon?

Marketing jargon is the bane of the lives of all clear-thinking business people and should be banished. The problem is: marketing is a pseudo-science. It’s not a science but marketers want to pretend it is to give it credibility to the people in other departments (i.e., the money guys). What will give marketing credibility is the results it delivers, not the words it uses to describe itself.

We advocate simple, b…..t-free language at all times. By the way, ‘punk marketing’ is not jargon, it’s a simple description of the need to get back to a set of no-nonsense principles at a time when there has been a huge shift in power from corporation to consumer. And it will never be a fad.

‘Long tail’ is a favourite new term among marketers who are just not able to win more customers/sell more goods/make more money. Should big-ticket players take note of this phenomenon?

More jargon. It sells books. Soon it will be short behind, we’re guessing. All that says is that it’s OK to try and sell niche products because, in this wonderful wired world you can find small audiences wherever they maybe hiding.

We like the idea of taking the “mass” out of mass market and trying to create distinctive products that aren’t dumbed down in the effort to appeal to everyone under the sun.

So, we say: niche is nice.

But what people must do is not follow words, per se, but rather their gut. We see up close how nearly everyone in sales is freaked out about the fact they are seemingly doing the same thing everyone else is doing and most of it does n’t feel right.

Go after an audience that’s yours, prove yourself. You can do it, and as the saying goes, we can help.

Punk marketing is not jargon. Here’s why. It will never go away. Do you think what we’re saying – customer is in control and you better get speedy on how to deal with it – will ever go away? Hardly.

India has been a major challenge for MNCs. Some click, many flop, many more are still wondering what went wrong. Why don’t companies take the time to understand what will work in a culture and what won’t?

Companies often don’t take the time to understand distinct cultures, because companies are lazy! So much that happens in corporate culture is what we term ‘The GM Nod.’

Everyone sits in a meeting and their heads bob up and down, “yes sure, we will do that.” Then they leave that conference and turn to whoever is nearby and say: “Like I’ll ever agree to that.”

People in companies are used to one-size-fits-all. We say: go out and find out about the people (no more market research, ask them to their face where they shop) and customer values before trying to sell to them.

Go into their homes. Look in their fridges. Sleep in their beds ... OK, maybe that’s going too far, but only a little.

You talk about the nag power of kids (in the book). These days, kids are dominating the social networking space and speak a wholly different language. How do companies tap this opportunity without seeming desperate?

Kids have always had a completely different language and different modes of communication. The online social networks are just the latest example of that. How do marketers tap into them without seeming desperate? Very c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y.

A smart marketer will need to understand why and how they are being used and find a way to offer users something different and of value and not intrude in anyone’s world.

We’re intrigued by Sprite’s move to set up a mobile social network, for instance. But not by Home Depot, where they ask people to talk about their building experiences.

It could be great if done well, or smack of commercialisation if done badly. The devil is in the detail (and he’s laughing at us).

While on social networking, Heinz’s recent attempt to be cool by choosing the “wisdom of the crowds” is backfiring. Is there a lesson for companies to not run after any fad, just because the experts say it’s the next big thing?

Heinz just dove in without thinking. And fads are for fools. The “next big thing” more often than not is big in hype but not in genuine marketing opportunity. People looking for a silver bullet often shoot themselves in the foot.

There is no easy way to marketing success for the lazy executive wanting big results quickly. Take YouTube: we love it as a medium, but know it only works as a marketing vehicle when part of a carefully constructed campaign.

Just because it’s quick and cheap to put a short video up on the site doesn’t mean people will see it or care about your message. Witness the numerous online ‘user generate’ campaigns that fall flat on their silly faces.

Want to know how to make a really good video? Follow these lessons from us Punkers:

Be honest, open, and transparent.

Use music.

Funny is better than fancy.

Keep it short. Seven minutes is the new War and Peace.

Nudity is a no-no.

How important is it for a company to adopt new channels of information like blogs? Will companies be better off hiring bloggers to take care of this new challenge?

Deciding how to use a blog seriously depends on your goals. We applaud companies who write blogs that expose themselves, warts and all.

Even better when written by senior executives (CEO is best but often it’s good to have someone who is honest and articulate and will say something that is really valuable).

The other way to use blogs is to feed existing independent bloggers news and information to help them do a better job. What we’d never advise is getting an outside agency to write a company’s blog, especially when consumers are led to believe it’s written in house. Don’t lie. Ever!

We were appalled when public relations firm Edelman was revealed to be writing blogs, supposedly from customers, on behalf of client Wal-Mart.

We actually wondered if he thought for a second he’d not be caught. No one gets away with anything, kids. A mouse will figure you out.