One of my favorite questions for sure.  I’m continually stuck on the notion that you/we should strive to be worth sharing.  If you are good enough.  If the mission is strong enough.  If the offering is good enough, it will be shared. Period.

Advertising itself has been ruined by advertisers.  It’s diluted down to a nuisance, an annoyance, worth ignoring than paying attention to, valueless, etc.  Had some time on Saturday, more accurately, kids were out being kids and the project I am working on needed more time and not that much thought so it was movies in the background as well as a college football game.

The app I was using for one movie, has one or two commercials every few minutes.  I remember none of them.  The football games, however, were much worse.  Seemed like constant interruptions. But, I cannot tell you who was advertising.

So is the challenge to simply have better advertising or simply be better.  I say be better!

I’m regrouping this blog and there was a post that was unpublished dated October 2014.  It was just after attending Landon Donovan’s last U.S. Soccer match in Hartford.  Allstate is a big supporter and was giving away something that all you had to do was sign up for a quote.  I have zero memory of the giveaway or if a quote was given.  Why, based on what I know now, and/or what you know now, would anyone want to cold call on people who agreed to an auto insurance quote ONLY so they can get a giveaway?

But, this parallels to a dilemma we are currently faced with.  Two interesting opportunities that can put us in touch with shoppers.  Although I am certain we can make the financials work, I’m still on the fence.  Did these people come looking for improved insurance with their own free will?  Were they actually looking or did repeated internet ads break them down till they finally “agreed,” to move forward and request a quote?  HUGE difference.

It is similar to the advertising which isn’t tricky but can be perceived as tricky.  In that same draft, I referenced an article/newsworthy moment from October 2014.  It was of an employee of Wells Fargo requesting a raise and cc’ing all his co-workers.  I still think it is beautiful.  And, considering what we know now about what Wells Fargo was doing from 2014-2017ish, it would have been a tremendously smarter move.

I suppose the What Else of advertising needs to be re-framed.  What Else can we do to get people to want to try our products?  Instead, consider, what else can we do to get people to want to be a part of what we are doing or be a part of what they are doing?