When crappy interruption marketing harms a brand

Just because you have my email addresses, it doesn't mean you should email me your marketing message.

Just because you have my phone numbers, it doesn't mean you should call me with your sales pitch.

Just because we're connected on LinkedIn, it doesn't mean you can add me to your email list.

Just because I follow you on Twitter, it doesn't mean you can try to sell me something via Direct Message.

Intrusive, interruption-based marketing techniques frequently do much more harm than good. The creation of a "campaign" can piss people off so badly, that it can actually cause business to fall. It would have been better to do nothing.

Scott Brown's Intrusive Robocalls Will Hand Massachusetts US Senate Seat to Elizabeth Warren

I just published a piece in Huffington Post Scott Brown's Intrusive Robocalls Will Hand Election to Elizabeth Warren. I talk about how Warren will win the US Senate race in Massachusetts because voters like me are fed up with being interrupted at home by robocalls pimping Brown. At my home number, we've received quite a few recorded ads from Brown support groups including the Massachusetts Republican Party. So far, we have received no calls from Warren support groups.

The idea of spending money on annoying people seems like a good idea to traditional marketers. They buy a list, prepare a script, and reach out to "prospects".

Are these robocalls interruptions supposed to good? It just pisses me off. And I'm not the only one. Other Massachusetts residents I speak with are also fed up.

People hate sales calls. Some three quarters of Americans have signed up for the National Do Not Call Registry which does not currently apply to political organizations. This is something Shaun Dakin is fighting to change with his 300,000 person strong National Political Do Not Contact Registry.

If three quarters of Americans signed up to say "no" to sales calls, why the heck would a campaign think making a sales call is a good thing?

Crappy marketing

I see examples of this behavior all the time. Today I was added to an email list that I have no interest in. The person said, "Hello David Meerman. Since we're connected on LinkedIn I thought I'd let you know..." Bang! We are not connected anymore, pal. And hey, you don't even know my name. You blew it by interrupting me with an unwanted message.

If someone sends me an unwanted sales pitch via Twitter Direct Message, I immediately unfollow. Gone, Buh Bye.

Just because you've got passengers confined in a metal tube for a few hours on a plane, doesn’t mean USAir should wake me up from a nap to pimp their damned credit cards.

I don't go to my local mall food court as much as I used to because the owner, Simon Property Group installed a television system that loudly advertises stuff to everyone as they are seated and trying to eat.

You don't have permission

Marketers need to understand that ownership of an email address or phone number or being followed on Twitter is not permission to intrude with a sales message. This behavior does more harm than good. You’d be better off doing nothing.

Note: This is a marketing blog, not a political blog. I am commenting on Scott Brown’s marketing (or rather that of groups affiliated with him), not about the candidate himself.

Comments

[Dennis]

You have the wrong link to your HuffPo article. It's http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-meerman-scott/brown-warren-senate_b_1957903.html

[David Meerman Scott]

Whoops! Thanks Dennis. I fixed it in the post.

[Matthew Fanning]

I agree. I sell medical devices to Orthopaedic surgeons and without building any sort of relationship, I do not have a chance. If I were to show up at their clinic/OR and simply ask for the sale, they would shut the door in my face. Thats why the same rules apply in real life as they do on the internet.
Instead, Build relationships and offer help/solutions/content to your prospects problems/issues.

[Nicholaswallen]

David, It's starting to creep into social media too. http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fvimeo.com%2F42188610%3Faction%3Dshare&h=WAQE5gwr8AQGZy15jQseyEaCJp5aXuUsZSgkaiYE6Rd_RBA&s=1 but this, is a great tool for ratting out bad parkers. I for one would accept this type of interruptive advertising.

[Kent]

Those are great example which I called "old mindset uses new technology". Seth Godin has a great book for called Sundae Meatball. Those marketers try to force new technology, email, blog, social media to suit their old company policies and make them feel that are REALLY part of using new technology.

[David Meerman Scott]

Matthew - Yes! Build that relationship first. Thanks.

Nicholas - Parking Douche is both hysterical and amazing. Many thanks for sharing.

Kent - You're right. The examples I chose take old style advertising and apply to the web & social media.

[Linda Patch]

Hi David! I wonder if we have not been receiving Warren robocalls due to the town in which we live? She pretty much has a lock here. She does has a very active phone bank operation. The fact that Brown thinks he can make inroads in this town with that annoying tactic, just makes your point yet again.

I have been volunteering for the Warren campaign, but decided early on to opt out of phone banking for exactly the reasons you iterate. I feel I have no right to call anyone cold to give them a political spiel. For the same reason, I won't do house-to-house canvassing.

So I am relegated to "visibility"--holding signs at her events, which I think is fine and creates a festive atmosphere. I also drop off yard signs to people who REQUEST them. I'll be driving people who need help to the polls. Again, they "opted in," asked for the help, and I'm happy to then oblige.

[Grant Crowell]

This is exactly the reason why I stopped being a member of my local Chamber of Commerce. The vast majority of members would treat the membership as a mailing list for sales. It's even worse in politics, where the campaign staff will find every way to annoy me with their pitches and ads, but their own candidates won't care to personally engage with us on their own social media channels. (For example, with my own congressional candidates, neither of them has done a single town hall meeting open to the public, much less recorded on video for YouTube.) I think it's because they don't want unpredictably, but they end up being unauthentic

[Aalaap Roy]

Hahahaa.. Seems like you out bugged out of your mind when u wrote this. But yes I completely agree with you. Some companies go out of their way just to frustrate consumers. why? - Because the management wants us to increase our reach.. tch tch.. The worst thing a manager can do.

[David Meerman Scott]

Hi Linda - Good to hear from you. Hope all is well. I have heard from several people in the state they they have gotten Warren robocalls. Why in the world would a campaign use a tactic that 75% of people have expressly said they don't want??

Grant - Old-style marketing is still the norm (as you well know).

Aalaap - Yes, indeed I was! But when I have passion, I write more forcefully!

[Larry McGlynn]

Warren's campaign makes robocalls too. Both campaigns have a fairly complete record of your voting habits (scary). If you have a party affiliation, then the opposing party will call, or worse, make an unannounced visit to you.

As an example, three weeks ago, Warren's people came and knocked on one of my employee's door. Talk about intrusive. The man had a list that advised him that the family voted Republican, but was registered independent and maybe convinced to vote for Warren.

With politics, it's get your name out to as many people as possible in the few weeks between the primary and the election. That includes, in person home visits (talk about intrusive and the employee won't be voting for Warren as an uninvited visit sealed that deal), robocalls, emails or any other device that will put their name in front of the voters.

While it is a numbers game, how do you get your message out to everybody and not insult someone?

Finally, I am a salesman. I cannot wait for customers to come to me. Social Media is great indirect advertising, but I still must practice my "10 second elevator speech" when I meet prospects in person.

[David Meerman Scott]

Thanks for jumping in Larry. Yes, I am learning from others that Warren's campaign has also resorted to robocalls (although our home has not received any to date). Too bad that like crack cocaine, all politicians seem to resort to this technique that three quarters of people say they do not like.

Absolutely - social media is but one way to generate business. It works best within a comprehensive business strategy as you describe.