Disruptive Advertising
First, let me define disruptive advertising. I would define distruptive advertising as a marketing message presented to you that you did not ask for.
One example: the entire TV industry!
But how does disruptive marketing pan out on the web? And if not, then how does a business go about effectively marketing their brands online?
Does disruptive marketing work on the web?
I would say that’s a definitive “no”!
When you are online, are you impressed, or engaged in ads that pop up? Probably not…
What about spam emails that you did not ask for? Are you compelled to become a buying a customer from them? Again.. probably not!
When it comes to the web, content is free. The only cost is generated from the producer in time, effort, hosting costs, etc… But free for you the reader nonetheless. And if the producer of content was upset about the fact that they couldn’t charge for their content, well… there’s only 100 other sites that would fill that need almost instantly – so the producer has almost no choice but to offer great content for free.
The TV industry doesn’t have that luxury. It’s always been the case that TV shows, programs, and movies are exclusively funded by advertising dollars.
The TV show cannot go live without the advertisers in place providing the funding.
What Works On The Web
So what’s an advertiser to do then? If disruptive advertising – or paying for views, impressions, exposure in front of people that didn’t ask for it – doesn’t work on the web, then what does?
Reputation, Trust, and Social Engagement
More than anything, the web is about personal relationships and trust. From a consumer point of view, being able to find information that answers questions, and get direct communication from companies, means more than any other form of advertising.
Social networks – Facebook, Twitter, blogging – allows a brand to connect to customers and prospects on a “non-disruptive” level.
Interaction from customers, on the web and in social networks, is on their terms, their timing, and their own efforts. This makes the situation a non-disruptive environment, and very fertile platform for building a brand and reputation.
So the company that shows up on the web, engages it’s customers with valuable content, and interacts at all levels will ultimately gain the advantage in their market place.
Advertise on the web by just showing up and interacting at a real level. That will go so much further than any amount of advertising you can buy!