The other day a colleague was bemoaning the fact that my wife’s business letters didn’t sell forcefully enough – my wife works for a cancer charity.
Now, maybe it’s because my wife (and I) are of an age where we don’t like being too pushy – or maybe it’s recognition that we value the role of courtship – but it seems today that marketing and brand managers are so focused on the short term sell, that they forget about the fundamentals of courtship – of identifying shared interests; of knowing when to elaborate; when to remain silent; when to simply say ‘I’m here when you need me’ – in the confidence that when that need is realised, they’ll come to you.
So to my wife’s colleague (and the many rather desperate marketing men out there) – be confident in the value of the brand – let it shine – but please don’t try and push it down everyone’s throat.
Jon Fricker 