Jerry Bear and the Message Rut Quandry

OK, I am officially in a rut. I sat down tonight to think about business and marketing, but sitting here, in my cozy leather chair, kids playing in the background and my wife engulfed in a book, all I can think about is our old dog Jerry, dozing contently at my feet. I wonder if tonight will be his night? He’s 14 after all. He’s half blind, and completely crazy. He’s a good dog, but has really broken down over the last year. He officially gave up tennis balls, and could care less about walks on the beach. He has done his time, and I don’t think it will be long before he goes. I think he knows it. Death is the natural last chapter in our lives, and looms over us all, from our parents, to our pets, to our children, and eventually, ourselves. It happens.

In many ways, customers go through the same process I just experienced every day. In a room filled with so many good things, I chose to focus on the negative. That’s not my fault, that’s how I was conditioned. Look at the news - how many sad and horrible stories do we sit through before we get to the happy ones? Customers are the same way. They get so much “stuff” thrown at them they forget to notice good things and only look for the bad. Unfortunately, they stop looking for reasons to include vendors, focusing instead on reasons to exclude them. It’s too bad. The whole courtship has gotten ugly.

The other day I was reading my cousin’s blog, “The Mommy Quack”, about life with four kids in a crazy New England house while managing a few careers and a husband on the road. It was like crack – I couldn’t put it down. After an hour I had consumed all of the content and had a sore belly from laughter, and a new outlook on my relatively calm household. Despite all of her craziness, my cousin looks for humor in life, and chooses to share the good. It got me thinking: how can we, as marketers, provide the same experience with our audiences? Think about that the next time you sit down to write a press release.

I am an optimist. Sure, the end is near for Jerry, but he has brought so much joy to our lives, and my children are big enough to have experienced him for themselves. When he goes, we will get another dog, but we won’t replacing Jerry Bear. He’s too good for that. We will be starting a whole new set of happy memories. I can only hope my customers see dealing with me, and my company, in the same light.