DIGS is the premiere luxury real estate lifestyle magazine serving the most affluent neighborhoods in the South Bay and Westside of Los Angeles, California.
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10 DIGS.NET | 6.7.2019 Warren J Dow | Publisher wdow@Southbaydigs.com | 310.373.0142 Brands Need To Stop Dehumanizing The Great People Of Earth. We are not clicks, targets, objects, opt-ins, eyeballs, users, lists, markets, prospects, farms, data, subscribers, followers, & click-through rates – we are human beings and our minds will not be invaded, manipulated, or controlled. Please stop, ♦ Targeting us. ♦ Retargeting us. ♦ Interrupting us. ♦ Tracking us. ♦ Following us. ♦ Calling us. ♦ Positioning us. ♦ Spying on us. ♦ Telling us what you think we want to hear. ♦ Selling us your features. ♦ Persuading us. ♦ Spamming us. ♦ Having automated robots speak to us. ♦ Selling our privacy. ♦ Lying to us. Enough is enough. Let's start over, shall we? Brands, please start by treating us like human beings. We're emotional creatures and like to develop familiarity, relationships, and eventually trust. We like to hold hands and date a while before we get married. And don't forget, this whole digital revolution and birth of the internet has made us smarter and more sophisticated as we now have unprecedented access to the world via the web. Just because we're all connected digitally doesn't eliminate the fact that access to my time and attention is a privilege, not a given marketing right. Remember, If we lose trust in your brand, it's very unlikely we'll ever become friends or join your community. (That's code for "buying" from you!) Worse, we may develop a distaste for you and spread the word. The grand delusion. Given the immense advances in technology and personal/behavioral programmatic data freely flowing in the marketing sphere, you would think that the "one- to-one" marketing fantasy would be realized by now, but the truth is stranger than fiction. Brands are delusional in thinking they can engineer their way to grandeur in the new connected economy. e Brand Manifesto P U B L I S H E R ' S M U S E If marketing and sales were indeed a science, the challenge in developing, growing, and sustaining a brand would have been solved long ago. But let's keep crunching numbers, shall we? At least it keeps us busy and distracted from the truth. Brands are now suffering from the effects of exponential growth in messaging, data, and personalization, and it's created an entirely new gravitational pull in the wrong direction. The friction that has developed in the market is real, and it's not going away. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. The market has spoken and continues to send the message that marketing/advertising in the new connected age has resulted in a massive erosion of trust and only created negative value. It's been said that the global ad blocking response (reported to be 2 billion + worldwide) is one of the greatest collective revolts in human history – yet brands still don't get the clue. Ad blocking and privacy protection are legitimate and loud messages from the demand side (human beings) to the supply side (brands). If they continue to fight the message, brands are basically giving the marketing middle finger to all of us. Maybe we can work this out. Brands just need to get back to basics. Start with a relentless pursuit of making things better, easier, and solving real problems for human beings. Doing this creates value. Focus hard on this value creation and soon the good people of earth will seek you out and spread the word. Remember, you exist because of them. Treat them accordingly. If you keep your promises and stay true to your purpose, you will be rewarded. Think in terms of one-to-one human connections, not ad personalization. The numbers become a game only if you choose to play it this way. A blueprint for the future. We all have an important role in how this plays out – it's a two- side coin, demand side/supply side. Perhaps the band Fugazi's song Blueprint captured this moment in time best. Here are some choice excerpts from the song: I'm not playing with you I'm not playing with you I'm not playing with you, yeah, you I'm not playing with you I'm not playing with you I clean forgot how to play But you can still come around In fact I invite you down Maybe together We can wipe that smile off your face 'Cause what a difference What a difference What a difference A little difference would make We'll draw a blueprint It must be easy It's just a matter Of knowing when to say no or yes Frustrating, frustrating Always waiting for the bigger axe to fall A patient game I can't find my way to play Find my way to play Not knowing Never mind what's been selling It's what you're buying And receiving undefiled Never mind Never mind Never mind Not knowing the way to play Until next time ~ Lyrics by Fugazi: Brendan Canty, Guy Picciotto, Ian Mackay, Joe Lally