Think back with me, children, to a time when something happened and we didn’t learn about it until minutes or even hours later—if ever. Every syllable spoken by boys in balloons and senators from Vermont wasn’t flashed across our screens instantaneously, and explaining a complex subject like health care or the designated hitter rule took thousands of words instead of 140 characters. And, if you can imagine it, some things even happened without anyone, anywhere, caring to comment.
Is it any wonder we’re all stressed out by the never-ending parade of things to worry about? Just on Monday, I worried about the vote in Afghanistan, the sincerity of George Clooney’s new girlfriend, whether there will be any swine flu vaccine left for me, the Dow’s rise, North Korea’s nukes, Ruth Reichl’s job prospects, college students’ mental health, and on and on.
But if I try and make it stop by staying away from screens for a day, I know I’ll be at a dinner party staring at the centerpiece while people all around me enjoy lively discussions on the news of the day, the hour, the minute.
So which is better? Information overload? Or willful ignorance? And is there some happy medium?
I attended a beautiful wedding over the weekend. The bride and groom are meant for each other, the sky could not have been bluer, and everyone in the wedding party looked equal parts nervous and delighted. It was perfect—except for the guests. I’m sick of seeing people at big-deal events in jeans and t-shirts, capris and flip-flops, Colts hats and sneakers. And it’s not just weddings—I see the same thing at funerals, graduations and religious ceremonies. If those aren’t occasions for dressing up, what is?
When I dress up—and believe me, doing so gets more labor-intensive with each passing year—I am saying to someone, “Your event is important enough to me that I’ve made an effort.” I’m not shaped like a model, I don’t have a personal shopper (or the budget to support one), and I certainly don’t sew. I wore a 10-year-old dress, a two-year-old sweater and shoes that were killing me. But those shoes said to the bride and groom, I love you enough to suffer.
And I don’t buy the argument that people can’t afford to dress up. The people at this wedding weren’t wearing cheap clothes—they were wearing the wrong clothes. I don’t care how expensive your jeans are—they’re still jeans.
I’m not a formal person. For my own wedding, I bought a linen dress off the rack, and we instructed our guests to wear shorts to the reception so they could limbo to the steel drum band. But I try to match my attire to the occasion, because I think that’s part of what makes a special occasion, well, special.
Am I the only one?
Hetrick clients often ask, What is viral marketing? Here’s an example.
The Monon Trail—the rails-to-trails walking and biking path–is a block from my house, and I ride or walk it a few times a week. It gets crowded at peak times (hint: this is not the time or place to teach your kid to ride a bike). And like a crowded highway, a lot of passing takes place: bikers passing walkers, roller-bladers passing strollers.
Common sense calls for letting pass-ees know you’re coming around them, so they don’t suddenly swerve in front of you or gesticulate to make a conversational point and knock you in the face. When the Monon first opened in 1996, a few people—presumably those who had used urban trails in other cities–signalled their passing intentions by saying “On your left” as they approached, or ringing their bicycle bell, or simply saying, “Behind you.”
It caught on. Now, I’d say about half of the Monon’s users say something when they’re preparing to pass. It’s become my habit, too.
When people talk about viral marketing, this is what they’re talking about. Whether you’re doing it online or on inline skates, viral marketing has its roots in plain old word-of-mouth—multiplied exponentially by the reach of the Internet. If you craft a message that solves someone’s problem—or entertains them, or teaches them, or moves them—that message will get passed along. And if the message is good enough, people don’t care if it also promotes a product or service.
Here’s a great example.
What viral marketing messages have you caught lately?
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