Marketing Crap
It used to be that there was a variety of ways of #marketing products. You could provide photos of happy people using your product. You could just provide facts and stats and let people make up their own minds, letting the product sell itself. This approach was often used when you had a customer base that was educated and knowledgeable. Or you could just write ad copy that was absolute insulting garbage.
That latter approach seems to be the only approach now used here in the 21st century.
Take for instance this typical product launch, in the this case a new and improved version of a personal light airplane, the Cirrus SR22 G6 or sixth generation. So this is a product aimed at a knowledgeable audience of wealthy people who are already pilots and very familiar with airplanes in general. But you could be selling toothpaste, the approach is the same. The press release, says:
“The model year 2022 G6 SR is refreshed to seamlessly sync with your life—taking you further, keeping you connected and distinguishing your style in the air and on the ramp,” said Ivy McIver, director of the SR series, in a statement. “This latest update to the G6 embodies our passion for continued innovation and commitment to design.”
“The new G6 SR Series is a testament to our devotion to constantly enhance both comfort and safety features across our product lines,” said Zean Nielsen, CEO of Cirrus Aircraft. “In 2022, we are poised to continue as the market leader in personal aviation and streamline the flying experience with the G6 SR Series aircraft.”
Now, obviously neither actual, real person said that in real life, it is just some awful crap written by some marketing person.
I should point out that this company is a real aircraft manufacturer that has been in business since 1984, with a proven track record of producing actual airplanes. In fact they have built and sold over 8,000 airplanes so far and pilots like them. But when I read advertising copy like that it makes me think that they are a bunch of scammers who consider their customers to be complete idiots.
The famous writer, Douglas Adams, in The Hitchhiker Guide to the Galaxy, actually addressed this precise issue, back in the 1980s and said of these marketing folks that they would be "the first up against the wall when the revolution came." I have some sympathy with that point of view.
So is it just me or does anyone else find this sort of marketing highly insulting? Does anyone actually like this sort of ad copy or think it is useful in any way?
