by Laurie Lamson

OLD SCHOOL: PUSH ADVERTISING

Audiences, especially savvy cultural creative audiences, have become jaded about the thousands of advertising and promotional messages we receive each day. We’ve learned how to tune them out. We just don’t respond to hard sell approaches the way our forefathers did, unless we have a specific need for the product.

Traditional advertising tends to use a ‘push’ approach. The fear tactic is a tried-and-true favorite of traditional advertising, which attempts to undermine the potential buyer’s self-esteem and sense of well-being:

“If you don’t use this product you will lose your health/spouse/sex appeal…”

“Without this product you’re doomed to remain (or to become) fat/ugly/poor/sick…”

Traditional modes of advertising appeal to fear, greed and other vulnerable human emotions. It’s all about sell, sell, sell – whoever sells the most wins – and the ends justify the means. Isn’t that the American way?

All this push advertising is outdated and proving less and less effective. That’s why many of the biggest sellers seek alternative ways to reach their markets by becoming associated with entertainment through sponsorship, product placement, etc.

The push approach smacks with the feeling that they’re trying to put one over on the buyer. It makes claims that sound too good to be true, and often are.

We’re hip to that jive. That’s why modern-minded companies and individuals need to find another approach to reach their markets.

NEW SCHOOL: PULL ADVERTISING

So what’s the opposite of pushing? Pulling. Pull advertising is the advertising of the future. It’s ultimately more effective because an approach born out of sincerity, that shows respect for the consumer, is a lot more appealing than a shrill, “You need this now… or else!” – which reeks from the frustration of, “I need more sales!”

It’s less expensive and labor intensive, and more environmentally friendly than the traditional hard-sell route. Businesses offering healing or spiritually empowering products are especially ill-advised by traditional marketing gurus operating under the assumptions of the old school, convinced that buyers need to be manipulated into buying your product or service.

The pull approach can also be employed in a cynical way, but it will prove the most effective for businesses that truly do seek a win-win situation, who believe in their products and services and who really want to make a positive difference in the world. Research has already shown that many consumers are willing to pay a little more for products and services backed by this kind of philosophy.

In fact, the old marketing methods are incongruous with this new paradigm of ethical products and services – and could even be a deciding factor against dealing with you or your company.

For the consumer seeking an empowering experience or product, this is also what they seek from their interaction with the seller. They want your information, but they also want to make up their own minds. Use of the old push tactics is only going to confuse them, giving them the wrong idea as to what you’re all about. By all means, show your excitement about what you have to offer. But it’s your sincerity that is convincing and your desire to present honest information that makes you trustworthy.

A business or person who knows who they are and seeks the best outcome for themselves, others and the world in which we live, is already working with Divine principles. You can trust that there will be people and businesses out there who are in sync with what you are all about, and will feel good about doing business with you.

That’s where good word-of-mouth comes in – which is more valuable than any amount of advertising, even a sexy Superbowl commercial.

This is how the law of attraction operates (THE SECRET, anyone?) And that movie is a great example. It’s a product with a positive, empowering message, and its having a huge impact with just a little publicity and a lot of word of mouth.

Especially if you’re providing something that involves modern values – spirituality, healing, preserving the earth – it’s most beneficial to practice what you preach, to operate from a place of sincerity and excellence. The key to reaching a modern audience is to demonstrate your belief in your products by respecting the wisdom of each appropriate customer to appreciate what you have to offer.

Your job in promoting/marketing/advertising is simply to make available your information in an honest, interesting way and let customers come to you. When they have a positive experience with you and your product or service, they’ll help spread the word. You don’t have to push or exaggerate. Just believe in what you’re offering, show your sincere passion for it and empower the public to make its own informed decision.

CUTTING-EDGE MARKETING: A NEW ART FORM

While most of us grab for the remote during commercial breaks, people today actively seek out entertainment that offers authentic information and windows onto real-life experiences. The rise in popularity of the documentary film and the success of Reality TV and YouTube attest to this.

Modern audiences have embraced the independent filmmaking aesthetic – low budget, rough around the edges, but with a creative point of view. And the documentary style is associated in the public mind with valid information – distinguishable from entertainment that is slickly put together and contains elements of falsehood.

Every filmmaker has their own artistic style and point of view, but what documentaries tend to have in common is an authentic and trustworthy storytelling approach that puts viewers at the scene. And with shorter-than-ever attention spans, the mini-documentary (3-5 minutes) is on the rise.

You better believe the big ad agencies are scrambling to create this kind of material just so they can reach a YouTube audience. This could be viewed as a cynical approach to pull advertising.

But you can go about it in an honest way that is congruent with who you are. Instead of hiring an ad agency or production company to make an expensive commercial, infomercial, sales video, or pseudo-documentary, you can look to the indie filmmaker to create something far less expensive and potentially more effective in reaching your audience.

There are a lot of advantages for the modern marketer in taking this route. It takes advantage not just of the popularity of the indie esthetic but also the independent filmmaker’s strengths. Rather than hitting you over the head with a message, an independent filmmaker’s focus is on using whatever resources are available to artfully draw the audience in and hold their attention by telling an intriguing story.

Just as positive word-of-mouth has more impact than a contrived message, independently acquired customer testimonials and a sincere, neutral point of view, presented in an entertaining film, is more convincing than a slick commercial.

Think of the indie filmmaker as an artist you commission to paint your portrait. Within a few minutes of screen time they can tell the story of who you are, what you’re doing, what you have to offer, and why – in a visual, entertaining and unique way.

Another benefit of the mini-documentary is that it can be made for a fraction of the cost of a traditional commercial, slick promo or infomercial. By joining with other businesses of a similar nature you could share costs, and make the story even more convincing.

Whether you go the mini-doc route or not, businesses who seek a modern-minded audience will benefit by simply laying out their information in an honest, appealing, entertaining way, and trust us to make the right decision, without cramming it down our throats. After all, that would pushing.

Laurie Lamson is a writer / filmmaker with a BFA in film production from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Laurie specializes in writing, producing and directing videos that make the most of the documentary/independent aesthetic. She makes mini-docs for creative businesses and has been hired for a range of writing projects from editing books to creating website/PR material to promo scripts and feature screenplays. www.jazzymae.com.

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Tags: BFA in film production NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Cutting-edge Marketing For Cultural Creatives, Laurie Lamson, Pull Technology, push technology