February 24, 2009

Nobody Gives A S*** About Your Philosophy

You know that big new corporate branding campaign you're planning? The one where you tell the world about your company philosophy so they'll finally understand how nice and virtuous you are?

Here's a tip: Nobody gives a shit.

Nobody gives a shit that...
  • you believe people are your greatest asset.
  • you believe one person can make a difference.
  • you think the world needs to be more connected.
  • you think we need to preserve our precious resources.
  • you think the children are our future.
If I might be allowed to summarize... they've heard it all before and they don't give a shit.

Here's what they care about:
  • What are you doing, bub? Show me. Be specific. Convince me it's not a gimmick or pr ploy.
  • What have you got for me? How much is it? Why do I need it? Why is it good?
The underlying principle here is this: In advertising, generalities are worthless. Specifics are gold.

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