Extra Crispin' Please!

Jeff Hicks, CEO of Crispin, Porter & Bogusky has laid out a five point guide to what appears to be a step in the right direction for advertising in the "post-interruption" world. Kate MacArthur penned an article about the rules that Hicks laid out at the Forrester Consumer Forum.

A summary of the new rules are as follows:
1. Interruption as a tool is obsolete.
2. Let ideas find the medium.
3. Great ideas, not channels, create buzz.
4. Get comfortable with consumers messing with your brand.
5. Business results are the only measure of success.

First of all kudos to Hicks for taking a bold step in leading the "traditional" advertising world in the inevitable direction of "non-interruption." I think there is a long way to go, but a step in the right direction is better than no step at all.

If there is one thing that the traditional advertising world needs to absorb above all, it is point #1...interruption is OBSOLETE! The individual is now in control and interruptive advertising models are in direct opposition to this growing truth.

In all efforts we must look to engage the end user, create materials that they actually want to interact with and reward them for their efforts. In the years to come, I think we will be hearing the songs of "engagement" and "non-interruption" a lot more.

Let that mantra be sung from the hilltops...

Lonely Girl a stroke of genius or pure manipulation?

So Ad Age emailed me a survey question the other day asking me whether I thought the LonelyGirl15 "campaign" (as it should probably now be referred to) was a stroke of genius or merely yet another manipulative tactic vying for eyeballs. And of course it got me to thinking...

Was this an intrusive campaign or tactic?...Definitely not. Was it ingeniously marketing a product or service? Not really, in my opinion...although it did promote YouTube and bring them a good amount of attention.

So what, in the end, did the LonelyGirl teach us? That certain people are desperate for attention? That you can market via the various new interactive channels if you do so in an out-of-the-box fashion? That we really don't know what to make of UGC and how to utilize it for our benefit?

All of these things remain to be seen, what is clear is that it is a whole new world out there and there is enough room in it, even for the LonelyGirls...