Are we getting marketing wrong?

In my last post I came up with a bunch of basic rules on Spreading the word – what to do and what not to do.

What if I was completely wrong?

For ephemeral events, what if people mainly spot intriguing images in a sea of “stuff”?

Geode on a book

What if some of us are just too obsessional about good form and it isn’t worth the effort?

Shouldn’t we instead be encouraging spontaneous sharing in the form and language people are comfortable with? (There also being issues of class, access to education and what languages people mainly communicate in.)

Maybe those of use who aren’t entertainers or salespeople are missing some marketing and human communication tricks. Maybe us big readers are missing the impact of music, graphic design, art etc.

I like evidence. User Interface design gurus are big on testing: What do real users actually do when they are trying complete their tasks?

I’m still in favour of my original post. I think style can and should be added to a core clear communication. I want tools to help pass on messages and translate and pass on meaning. Yes, it is a bit more effort for the sender but there is one sender and many receivers – what about saving the readers some time and effort? Maybe someone else could help? I agree we need to get the attention of the right people before we can tell them something. I’m trying to make that more not less effective.

I’m always happy to change my mind if the evidence is there. Is it? Am I wrong?