May 2009 Archives

Is marketing unavoidably sexist? I've been given cause to think a great deal about the inherent sexism in marketing this last week following the amount of press Netregistry gained for using two girls dressed as nurses at this year's CeBIT expo. Were Netregistry perpetuating a sexist image unnecessarily or are stereotypical gender roles unavoidable within marketing when trying to reach a target audience?

Some emotive topics are always difficult for marketers. It can be a challenge to present a creative idea that is sensitive to the issue while being confronting enough to make a difference - all while keeping an audience engaged without promoting the wrong response.

If one thing is true about marketing, it's that it can be unpredictable. One truism that was drummed into us in the various social media panels at CeBIT 2009 is that you can't plan to go viral, you can't predict a hit and you can't control human behaviour. Makes my job as a marketer more interesting!

A couple of days ago, I posted my thoughts on why Twitter isn't the catch-all ultimate social network some marketers and the media would have us believe. Twitter just isn't for everyone.

Of course, there is way more to say on the topic, especially when it comes to "follow you, follow me" behaviour, as was raised in the comments.

Last week, the Aussie press reported, with the usual tall poppy slashing glee, that Twitter's phenomenal rise was an illusion and that the reality was a massive 60% monthly churn. According to The Australian - and with similar stories appearing in most daily papers - 60% of new Twitter users stop returning to the social networking site within a month of registering.