why, oh why, am i doing this?

because, dear reader, it's become clear to me that there are just too many people out there who don't understand what good marketing is, and why it's important. and too many of them are in decision-making roles, where they are either permitting unfortunate displays of adolescent behavior(see, doritos superbowl commercial) or constraining their organizations by forcing them into been-there, got-the-t-shirt initiatives (see, ABB billboard). there obviously will be marketers who disagree with this -- especially, i would guess, those who work for frito-lay and ABB.

but this is the web and, as i tell willy & hoover, my labradors, "on the internet, nobody knows you're a dog." or for that matter, why you think you should be entitled to blog about marketing. (by the way, willy is part-human and may, from time to time, serve as a guest blogger. hoover is a tornado in a dog's body and suffers from sub-standard typing skills, so willy or i will have to convey his thoughts.) they certainly have their own, highly well-informed opinions on marketing which have been developed during hours of watching animal planet when i'm not home. however, on this point, they both are in agreement with me:

good marketing should be brought out into the light and celebrated even (willy argues, "especially") by those who are not the target. bad marketing should be ridiculed and serve as a reason to make conscious choices for the products and services provided by a company's competitors. ok, i know "ridiculed" sounds a little harsh. but seriously, would you consider having a capital one card in your wallet? i'd be afraid of what others would think of me. (hoover says, "can it buy dog food? and toys? oh, i reeeeeaaallllly need some news toys.....")