Have you ever wondered what it is that drives perfectly sane people to climb over each other, throwing hard, sharp objects at anyone unfortunate enough to get between them and the celeb who’s up on stage at the Oscars?
The answer’s not what you think.
In preparation for another blog post, late last week I took a quick Twitter and Facebook poll to see what it was that people really liked about the Oscars. Want to guess what they were thinking? Most of them said their infatuation with the annual event had nothing to do with watching their favorite stars score a little extra recognition.
Top answered ranged across the board, but the majority said they were:
a) In it for the clothes. The Oscars offer designers a great excuse to strut their stuff, and they do it with a vengeance. It’s a great place to see the best (and worst) of what’s coming out of this year’s fashion lineup.
b) Looking for this year’s dark horse. While mainstream media and box office gross are pretty good indicators of who’s going to be bringing home the Oscar, sometimes an artist will surprise you. Watching a little-known project that sparkled with excellence trounce the competition to receive the recognition it deserves is a thrill for anyone who’s ever been the underdog.
c) Kicking on their Wii and firing up their Netflix. They don’t get what all the excitement was about and quite frankly, they just don’t care.
What’s That Got to Do with Printing?
Why would a rundown on the Oscars pop up on a printing blog? Because the reason people love printing and various printing/marketing pieces isn’t usually what you think. For example, did you know that the word “Free” is both a major motivator and an almost non-existent player in today’s marketing game? People have heard it so often they’ve decided to just tune it out.
Instead, they tune in to a marketing endeavor because it entertains them. So marketing pieces are slowly migrating from massive founts of information or shameless promotional freebies to entertaining-yet-informative works of art. (Think educational comic books and you’ll see where I’m going with this.)
Last week we told you about how to make insanity work for your printing projects and marketing campaign. Tie these two together and you’ll realize that if you’re smart, you won’t fall into the inevitable trap that’s just lying in wait to swallow you up-the mistake of assuming that you know what your customers want.
You do remember what happens when you assume, right? Take a lesson from the Oscars and just ask. The answer’s probably not what you think.