Much of marketing interrupts entertainment.
Facebook…
TV…
Instagram…
Radio…
People show up in these places to be entertained.
So, if brands are going to participate on these platforms seeking the attention (and dollar bills) of the market, then one strategy to consider is providing more of what folks actually came for… entertainment.
Celebrities promote products and services all the time, but they often do it with such a level of entertainment that we hardly notice we’re being sold to.
It works because nobody likes to be interrupted… so rather than interrupting, they entertain.
If brands don’t entertain, there will always be irritation on some level.
And, those potential customers might simply walk into the other room, start a conversation with someone else, or pick up their phones… actively looking for more of the entertainment they seek.
Some companies provide great entertainment under the guise of marketing, but so often their storytelling, humor, and creativity begin to take the focus away from their marketing message.
In their attempt to entertain, they lose their track of their sales priorities and ROI.
The other strategy is to embrace the disruption.
Understand that the marketing is interrupting, and lean into it.
Acknowledge it.
Own it.
Maybe even point to it.
Accept the decision to chop up the entertainment time and consider that in the strategy.
And, make sure the message is so good, so compelling, and so relevant that the customers forget all about the interruption.
Make sure the words are so valuable that people set aside their irritation over being interrupted and listen to the message.
Interrupt or entertain?
And, to what degree?
That’s one question all companies must answer.