Over the past few weeks sleeping babies were woken up, young people were disturbed from studying and migraines were triggered as campaign trucks blasted loud music in neighbourhoods across the country.
While many citizens are overjoyed that local elections have come to an end, they will continue to be interrupted by marketing on a daily basis. Mobile users are interrupted every time they receive a text thinking it’s from a friend, only to find out it’s from a mobile company trying to sell them more minutes. Many customers automatically delete each of these texts as soon as they receive them, missing out on messages they might actually be interested in.
Pedestrians are interrupted every time they’re stopped by people distributing flyers on the street. Many pedestrians try to avoid them and when they are guilted into accepting a flyer, they throw it in the nearest bin.
And it gets worse, I’ve read of this new type of advertising medium which will transmit messages that wake up commuters who lean their heads against a bus window while they fall asleep during their commute.
It appears that many marketers still think that if you get in consumers’ way or shout loud enough then maybe they might hear you but what they do hear is that you’re inconsiderate and you do not care about them. Interruptive marketing no longer works and it’s time that we start thinking more about our customers and less about making noise.
Nothing is wrong with blasting loud music if it’s at the right place – a rally that doesn’t disturb those in residential areas. Text messaging is an excellent way to reach customers once they’ve opted in and the messages benefit them and aren’t sent too frequently. Distributing print messages to pedestrians and limers is also okay if it’s done in a way that benefits recipients such as a snack with an amusing message would.
Are you interrupting customers with your marketing? Why not put your marketing dollars to better use?
Featured Image via Triniberry
