Hang The Blessed Ad Man
Okay, okay. These songs might not be about marketing. Regardless, when I listen to them I can’t help but relate them to what I do.
Firstly, Spoon’s Britt Daniel reminds me that customers are people, not bullseyes:
MP3: Spoon – Dont Make Me a Target
Don’t make me a target (x3)
When you reach back in his mind
feels like he’s breaking the law
Ironically, Spoon played a number of shows as part of a private, whiskey-funded concert series I worked on. They rawk.
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Next, The Smiths take the criticism up a notch with Panic. Though the DJ & Disco are the objects of Morrissey’s scorn here, I can’t help but relate them to how some people feel about marketers & marketing:
Burn down the disco
Hang the blessed DJ
Because the music that they constantly play
It says nothing to me about my life
This last line is amazing. Hits me ever time. Makes me wonder to myself… does my product say something to my customer about her life?
Rumour has it ‘Panic’ was written after Morrissey and Johnny Marr took offense to a British DJ playing Wham’s ‘I’m Your Man’ immediately following a news flash about Chernobyl. The Onion recently took a similarly founded shot at distasteful marketing with this parody.
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Obviously these two examples are quite negative. I like to pay them particular attention because I think its important we acknowledge these perspectives. Understanding them is necessary if we advertisers/ marketers are to earn back the trust & respect of consumers.
Anyone else out there who can’t help but think in marketing terms? Care to share an example?
HER NATURE HIS NURTURE 