Hype is everywhere – from healthy heart claims on yellow cereal boxes to red liquid that gives you wings when you drink it. This is not new information. However, the hype machine is going to create serious issues for business operators and marketers. Here’s why:
- It’s easier to produce, fabricate and manufacture hype then every before.
- It’s increasingly manipulative because technology and tactics obfuscate what the hype is actually trying to accomplish.
- It’s easier to spread the hype.
- It’s easier to get burned by hype.
Why does this matter to you? Because you want to spread things that matter, you want to help others, you want to lead and direct a successful business. And now, it’s going to be harder for you to do that.
Don’t Believe the Hype!
In 1988, Famed rap group Public Enemy released the track that put the phrase “Don’t believe the hype” into the masses. And now, it’s even more relevant as we find ourselves saying “Did Bon Jovi die? That’s what I heard? Where? Oh, on Twitter or something.”
But the problem is the hype is harder to spot and as more and more people get victimized by the hype; phishing schemes, email scams, click-through-defrauding, identity theft, and all the things in between, the masses will become more and more hesitant and cynical. The bad apples in the bunch are going to ruin the whole bunch of good apples.
Turd Polishing
Here in the south, you’ll find a lot of really funny and questionable expressions. Many of them seem straight outta the standup routines of Jeff Foxworthy (You might be a redneck) and Larry the Cable Guy. One of my favorites is “you can’t polish a turd” and I’d have to argue that most people can’t polish a turd, but a marketer can. But that doesn’t mean you should.
So, if you are looking at increasing your marketing skills, your advanced benefit statements, USP’s, pitch videos, squeeze pages, clever headlines and affiliate networks – remember, hype won’t help. You’ll need to be increasing your ability to communicate value and real benefit. Not just the words that persuade and influence action, but the actual products and material that have value.
Hype Image by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kerryank/