A Marketing War?

Marketing today is polarized, it seems, around those who would seek to market using permission and those who seek to use interruption . . . Here's a thought on this controversy and the implications of it.

There's a 'war' going on between marketers who seek permission to reach their market members and those who favor interruption. And yes, it is making it more challenging and costly to employ a permission-based approach to marketing.

I am dismayed by the insoucient use of 'creative' means of reaching the consumer because all this does, in the end, is raise the threshold that must be crossed to maintain my position with my permission-prospects on their mental shelf.

As a cynic, I'm not sure those who are waging this war will want to stop or 'play nice' . . . and what realistic alternative does that suggest for the rest of us?

I once heard someone say, "Playing fair in an unfair world is gonna get you killed". I hope that doesn't portend the probable future of permission-oriented marketers.

I'm still committed to permission marketing and I hope to outlast the boorish marketing efforts of those who appear to care less about the people they're reaching and more about the short-term gains they're enjoying.

Comments

[Melvin Ram]

You gotta have the best of both worlds. Yes, there are advantages to intrusive marketing. The main one is that it's proactive. Why not combine intrusive marketing with permission marketing? Why not ask for permission using intrusive marketing? Give away something of real value... something your target market really wants... in exchange for permission to build a relationship... and promote the heck out of this value giveaway using some of the traditional mediums. What do you think?

` Mel