Movement vs. Marketing?

“They say that marketing and PR is built on relationships. Unfortunately there are plenty of BAD relationships out there. The ones that are beneficial for both sides (and last through thick and thin) are the relationships that you invest yourself in.” –Spike Jones of Brains on Fire, Greenville, SC

I read this post by Spike Jones yesterday and haven’t been able to get it out of my head ever since. To sum it up here, Spike argues that the “answer” for you and your company is not the-most-amazingest-ever-made Super Bowl ad or the-longest-ever-made-infomercial (give the man points for picking on two things that have never made logical sense to me) but instead to inspire a movement, a long-term and mutually enriching experience for the people (and don’t forget that it IS people you want to be dealing with) you’re trying to reach.

Marketing is only as good long-term as the cause behind it. I think this concept is SO vital for nonproft/activist groups to grasp. Yes, you can come up with the most of-the-moment branding, and yes, you can jump on the band-wagon of whatever is the latest and greatest medium of reaching your audience. But…ultimately…you’d better have something to say. You’d better inspire someone that your cause is one worth sticking by for the long-haul. You’d better think beyond the marketing/PR campaign you have in the works right now. Because–you can never predict when the economy is going to freak out everyone living in your country. And you can never predict which new technology will be the coolest next month. The only thing you’ve got a handle on is your message. Your mission. Your vision.

So, craft it wisely.

Anyone have any good examples of an organization, for-profit or not, that has this kind of on-going, good relationship with its people?

Cluetrain Manifesto–Was this really written 9 years ago??

Some thoughts from the Cluetrain Manifesto–brilliant stuff, really.

A conversation cannot be faked—people instinctively know when they’re in a real conversation and when they’re being worked over, whether audibly or on a screen.

People “in the market” know more useful and accurate information about products—the good, the bad, and the ugly—than the companies that produce and market them.

A sense of humor and authenticity should be companions. And companies that don’t have them are severely out of touch with the people they need to support them.

“Most marketing programs are based on the fear that the market might see what’s really going on inside the company.” Wow, I can’t paraphrase that one. 

Public Relations: A Values-Driven Approach Ch.13

Public relations vs. Marketing

–Public relations’ reach is broader than that of marketing because marketing limits its focus to the consumer, whereas PR addresses all kinds of publics, from shareholders to employees to donors.

–PR and marketing are not the same thing. The goal of marketing at its most basic level is to sell a product; the most basic goal of public relations is to build and maintain a relationship.

–Marketing and public relations can be used in conjunction very effectively in Integrated Marketing Communiations campaigns, which are campaigns designed to use media to build relationships with individual consumers to tailor the marketing of products to the specific individuals who will benefit or enjoy them.