Marketing lessons from Missed Connections.
By Amber Hudson and Luke Sklar
Have you heard of this thing called Missed Connections? It’s part of Craigslist personals section (so yes, it gets a bit nauseating – you have been warned) and it’s for people who, well, missed a connection with someone and are hoping to meet up again. Allow me to illuminate through example:
11 pm D train at Bedford Park: “To the cute man listening to music, red headphones, nice gelled up hair, deep ocean eyes, who got off at Bedford Park station on 11/14/11 at around 11 pm, you also gave tip to the performers in the train, I couldn’t take my eyes off you, would love to meet … maybe coffee. Just tell me what color and brand your coat was so that I know it is you. 🙂 Long shot, but hey! Give it a try!”
How adorable! Sweet! Romantic! I’m rooting for them to meet up again and fulfill their destiny. Or wait second, maybe it’s sad, desperate, disturbing…
Either way, it got us thinking: are we meat on a hook or a brand? Are we always being watched by some letch on a train? What about our right to privacy? Look at Facebook – they know way too much about us it’s creepy. Then again, maybe the fact that Facebook knows so much is actually helpful – they are respecting my time by targeting me with the right stuff. I digress. Back to the couple on the train. Maybe they show us that life as we know it is about seizing opportunities, fulfilling our destiny. We need to grab on to those opportunities personally, professionally and, because this is Everything is Marketing, for your brand.
Your brand goes out on the D Train every day. It’s under scrutiny from everyone around. This has never been truer than in this digital world. Remember the day when you could control everything with your brand? Now your brand is stark naked. And since it’s out there in all its stripped-down glory, your brand needs to be distinctive, intriguing and well-groomed. And should you want to stimulate a conversation with your consumer to make that connection, take a risk and get to know them. You never know what might happen!
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