Relevant vs. Intrusive

I wish I could claim this one as my own but I can't. This is one of the great snippets I took home from AdTech in New York earlier this month and it was from Ted McConnell, Director of Interactive Innovations for Procter & Gamble . The question posed to the panel was,  "name one of the greatest insights you have learned in your career in interactive marketing." McConnell explained he learned this from a group of students he was speaking to at an event...

"The difference between being relevant and being intrusive is one over value." He went on to talk about how he can put anything he wants on a billboard and you won't hate him. But, if he shows up at your front door during your dinner party, it's a whole different issue.

I think this drives to the heart of permission/preference based marketing and the paradigm shift going on in consumer's minds today.

Consumers have not only come to not mind being marketed to, they are finding value in being marketed to as long as it is being done responsibility and courteously. They have the power today to say, "yes, please send me info about these aspects of your brand and promotions that I am interested in. I will even relinquish private information about myself as long as I find value it what you are saying you uphold your promise to abide by my rules on how you talk to me."

McConnell added one more insight in this context regarding measurement and metrics. He talked about how as interactive marketers we record crazy amounts of data and information showing if you heard his message. What we are not so good at is figuring out how much we pissed you off while doing it. I have to agree.

We pour over mounds of data on impressions, conversions, opens, click-throughs, etc.  We don't always look at this data to figure out if you felt the message was valuable or just one step beyond to the point of being intrusive and change if need be.

There is an unspoken pact today between consumers and the modern marketer. As marketers, we have to promise to be respectful, intelligent, and confidential. We won't speak to you like the clueless masses of the bygone past. We will talk to you as peers about topics of mutual interest to us both. And we will respect the honor you have bestowed us every time you tell us private information about yourself.

Kind of sounds like what we would expect from any relationship.