Some thoughts from Uncle Slappy.

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I just got an email from a so-called online professional group I must have some-how joined by mistake. I say joined by mistake assuredly. Outside of being President and Recording Secretary of The Battered Husbands of Second Avenue, a support and advocacy group, I have never willingly or wittingly joined anything.

Nevertheless, I read the email. To paraphrase W. Somerset Maugham, “I plunged into a sea of platitudes, and with the powerful breast stroke of a channel swimmer made my confident way towards the white cliffs of the obvious.”

You see, I don’t believe the consumer is in control of anything. Look at advertising for a second. Most readers of this blog are “consumers” of advertising jobs. Well, four holding companies control 80% of all jobs…where’s your “control” in that scenario. I suspect they set the prices on jobs—and control other compensation and benefits as other oligopolies do. Your mortgage is probably financed through one of two or four giant banks. You have no choice in internet provider. We’re down to essentially two airlines.

Consumer control?

Yes, you have a choice.
Take it or leave it.

 Anyway, I went over all this this morning with Uncle Slappy. And he prattled out the statement above. Something, I hope, to chew on.

The offending article:Humanizing the Customer Journey

Because of the media shifts, and e-tail and retail options, customers are in more control than ever. And, they are insisting on deeper meaning and increased value from brands. They are shifting in droves to brands that stand for something that makes their life better.