Be Clever

I too have a box of letters- from my father to my mother while he was in Korea. A couple of weeks ago, a friend of one of my friends was deployed to Iraq, and they have been keeping in touch through cell phone and other social media avenues.

Of course, it’s the same social part- people needing to be together, to touch even if it is only a meeting of the minds. A letter between lovers, a text message from one friend to another, fingertips brushing as a glass passes hands- all interaction, all valid, and none of it is “virtual.” Hearts can be broken – and joined- online as well as off.

I like that in-your-face advertisement is becoming a thing of the past. It used to be that there were three TV stations, so whatever the sponsors wanted to do by way of advertisement was fine- the audience was captive. Ads have to be clever now so they are not skipped over. Think of the Superbowl commercials. People look forward to seeing them as if they were a part of the entertainment, and after last year’s Superbowl I watched the ads get “rated” on twitter. They were obviously ads- the sponsor’s name was not scrubbed from the production- but they were clever, and drew by attraction.

And it is something to remember in your own interaction as a business person- online or on the bus. Be genuine, present your product in a light-hearted and clever way. If you are in sales- remember that sales is marketing! People will not accept being part of some archaic “touch” program that you have: they will switch the station.