Phil Lynott - A good pose in it's day I'm sure

When Thin Lizzy released their magical album Jailbreak in 1976, the title track of the same name contained amusing lyrics;  “Tonight there’s going to be a jailbreak somewhere in this town”.  The precise location of the jailbreak is obvious – the Prison.  We forgive the band because of their creative license and ability to move us in other ways.

Gucci for years have shouted at us installing the virtues of their brand with a relentless onslaught of glossy ads containing gorgeous people.  They have created design masterpieces but have had their share of catwalk boo-boos. We have let them away with their errors due to creative license and their ability to move us in other ways.

Gucci’s recent attempts at using online social marketing site Twitter however are criminal. The error goes beyond creative license and the marketing team should be jailed for their efforts, or lack of.  They have adopted their above-the-line marketing strategy and used it on the web, giving us a spectacularly good example of how not to engage with customers using social media.

In Gucci’s twitter feed they have tweeted 16 times.  11 have been ads for their site and four times requesting that advocates help them move from having 3800 followers on Twitter to 100,000 followers! – Why on earth would I help? Are we supposed to feel sympathy? You haven’t earned my trust or respect yet.  You haven’t given me a reason to help you!

A clear case of “Searchlight on my trail, Tonight’s the night all systems fail” – Thin Lizzy, Jailbreak.

(twitter @GuccibyGucci)

Gucci twitter feed

Guest Blogger: Gareth Dunlop, MD of Tibus

Imagine you are a small business owner with 10 to 50 employees.  Your business has been growing well for nearly ten years now and is really starting to perform for you.  You were just planning a new phase of growth in the early part of 2008 when deep recession hit.  Your margins are squeezed, your people are stressed, and not only are there no bonuses this year, there are no pay-rises for any of your staff.  You are concerned that you will need to lay people off.

You check the local business press for inspiration and guidance.

What do you read?

“Keep your foot on the advertising pedal”
“Marketing through a recession”
“Investing in building your brand”

The titles have been altered to ensure that this doesn’t become personal, but the message in each is the same – that businesses should maintain or increase their marketing spend in a recession.

Really?

So given the choice of laying someone off, or reducing marketing, you should lay someone off?
Or given the choice of a direct foreign territories sales visit to close a hot lead, or continuing to market, you should market?
Or given the choice of finalising a product innovation, or continuing marketing investment, you should continue marketing?

The communications industry needs to wise up and grow up.  I have yet to read a single article by an author making these recommendations who has put a penny of their own money into implementing these recommendations for their own business.

Clearly there are many businesses who should definitely reduce communications spend.  And more importantly, there are yet more businesses who radically need to alter how their communications budget is spent, by realising that the day of the interruption marketer is gone forever, and has been replaced by the age of the permission based marketer.

And that permission based marketing happens online, in a measurable and accountable manner.