But AI can do my job now, right? RIGHT??

I’ve decided to put that to the test…

Introducing *daveify* a GPT that writes just like me (kinda… it’s a work in progress. This is the MVP.)

Now you too can transform dry, technical, SaaS-y jargon and stuffy, buttoned up bizspeak into engaging, edgy, erudite wordage.

Job done.

(If anyone wants to hire the real me for cut-through comms and content, I’ll be living my best life: riding my scooter round town and smoking w33d like a massive manchild).

Dive into daveify: https://chatgpt.com/g/g-68ac76f1dd9081918c7d0835d4a1f3d4-daveify

(Or just hire the meat version instead — dave.barton@tbc.wtf)

Introducing… daveify!! was originally published in wtAf?? on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

*dun dun*

How did a TV show about some of the most heinous crimes known to big, bad, New York City become a source of comfort and familiarity across the globe?

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is one of the longest running shows on US television (trailing some ten years and 200+ episodes behind The Simpsons). Go anywhere in the world — London, Las Vegas, Lima — switch on the TV about 11 pm. Boom. SVU. Always.

For me, SVU is the most comforting show on television. For real. Yup, Benson, Stabler, Tutuola, and their various counterparts and replacements are a reassuring force in my life; both home and away.

Hang on… SVU deals with, like, really, REALLY bad stuff. So where does the ‘comfort’ derive from? What manner of beast might find something redeeming amid the anguish and horrendousness — and why — ?

And wtaf does it have to do with B2B marketing?

Let’s bust this door wide open.

1. It feels authentic. It’s not real, but it could be. SVU might present the veneer of awfulness and real-life police procedure, but it’s dramatically different to how such investigations likely play out on the streets of NYC. Or anywhere else, for that matter. But it’s well-made enough to convince the casual viewer of its authenticity.
2. We want ‘Predictable Escapism’. We can guess from watching the first five minutes of an episode how it’ll shake out. We know the emotions to put on standby. We know the plot twists; the well-worn tropes, the awfulness, the drive for justice to be served.
3. It provides catharsis. In these uncertain times, we have a need for catharsis. We can’t always affect the changes we want to see in the world, but seeing others deliver punishment to those who are most deserving of it, brings us viewers hope that there are those out there committed to making the world a better place; even though they bear witness to unthinkable crimes.
4. We’re put on ‘pause’. Doesn’t matter if it’s a post-Stabler 2015 rerun, the season 27 premiere, or a classic Munch deep dive; SVU demands we suspend our disbelief, that we immerse ourselves in the narrative from the outset. And because it pulls into the pace and structure of an established formula, the effect becomes as comforting as it is familiar.
5. It makes us care. While each SVU episode holds its own as a standalone, there’s a wider overarching meta narrative at work; the lives, loves, joys, and tragedies of the characters beyond the immediate episode: the ‘normal people’ stuff. That’s hard to get right over a sustained period, but it makes us care about them — because it holds a mirror up to ourselves.

Now, far be it from me to suggest that any B2B marketing campaign — no matter how well-conceived or constructed — could compare to the mighty SVU, but there are definitely lessons we can glean from the points above.

1. Authenticity is a huge one for brands. But it doesn’t come from presenting a situation as being life-like; it comes from understanding what it’s for, and why people need it.
2. Predictability and escapism aren’t necessarily two things that come out to play with B2B marketing, but think of them this way: people invest in things that work; but they also want a little ‘je ne sais quoi’ from features and functions. Give them a flavour of both.
3. Catharsis doesn’t always come from seeing justice served. It can be as simple as seeing a job well done; something satisfying completed. If you can demonstrate the effectiveness of your product or service in your marketing, you’ll be able to tap into that need fair and square.
4. Engagement is all in marketing. Getting people’s attention ain’t easy. That’s why leaning into the need to be ‘transported elsewhere’ — whether it’s NYC or simply to a world where the frustrations you have at work are easier to manage — can be more powerful than you might think.
5. Why should ANYONE care about your marketing? They won’t. But they will care about what’s in it for them, or how it’ll improve their lives. So focus on their issues; their painpoints; so that they can see their frustrations mirrored more clearly.

B2B marketing might be tough at times, but consistency, perseverance, investigation, and empathy always win — just like in SVU…right? (!)

Hey! Nice to meetcha :) I’m Dave Barton: founder, writer, marketer, questioner of accepted logic. If you like what I’m saying here and wanna talk about ways to work with me, book in a call with me (I don’t bite… all that hard).

5 Ways That SVU Serves Us Law & Order (& Why That’s Important For B2B Marketing) was originally published in wtAf?? on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

I could go on. But fact is, it’s there. On Amazon.

No-one bought it (like 4 people). I didn’t promote it much. Why? Because I felt that if it was good enough, it’d sell itself.

More fool me.

The whole process felt a lot like posting on social media as a B2B business. You make a play; tell the world what you’ve been up to. And… no-one cares (apart from the 4 people you can always count on). Or if there is interest, unless it leads to something concrete — like a sales call — you wonder what the point was.

What smart businesses know though, is that it’s the aggregated effect of consistently posting that increases the chances of an eventual conversion.

So instead of being aggravated — thinking your well-crafted blog and social posts deserve attention — create something achievable that’s also repeatable. Explore an idea in a simple post. Or propose a comment or fleeting thought. One, that’s of course relevant to what you do, and designed to engage the type of customers you want. But unless you say it, no-one’s going to hear it.

Remember, you’re conversing; not converting — and unless you regularly converse, you won’t convert.

Sometimes we do things for the experience of doing them. To see. To test. To experiment with an idea and create something tangible. That’s ok too. That falls under conversation.

With my book, I wanted to collate some of the various scribblings I’d been tinkering with for years; and give them a finite purpose. To put them to bed, finally. Social media marketing however, is a continuous work in progress. As is any kind of marketing for that matter. Getting it right means embracing that — and having the confidence to continually show up, even if you think no-one’s watching.

Hey! Nice to meetcha :) I’m Dave Barton: founder, writer, marketer, questioner of accepted logic. If you like what I’m saying here and wanna talk about ways to work with me, book in a call with me (I don’t bite… all that hard).

The Aggregated (Not Aggravated) Effect was originally published in wtAf?? on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

TL;DR Products and services offering delayed, contingent or dormant value — like insurance — need to find ways to appeal to consumers: in spite of their lack of instant gratification. This is not at all impossible.

If ever there was a term that truly underpinned the consumption culture of our times, it’d be ‘instant gratification’.

See, when we buy stuff, we want impact: here and now. We want immediate results. So what does that mean for products whose value lies ‘dormant’ — as in delayed or contingent on something else happening?

Take insurance. No one wants it, but when it’s needed, boy will you be pleased you routinely-yet-begrudgingly forked over those monthly premiums for the last xx years.

But the odd thing is that insurance’s dormant value is contingent on disaster and disruption. And taken to its logical conclusion — if we follow the idea that we prefer to buy stuff that offers immediate value — to capitalise on the immediate value of insurance we would need to do something irrevocably stupid: like crash a car or burn down a house.

So how do we make good on the need to overcome the dormant value? Is that even possible? I mean, insurance isn’t meant to fill us with joy in the same way that chicken wings, a beer, and an edible do.

But what if it could?

It actually does. Insurance can indeed provide instant gratification.

Huuuh??

Though the dormant value of insurance is seemingly never realised (until it is), the instant gratification that we all crave manifests differently. It’s in the feeling of security and certainty we might get from being covered. It’s also found in the sense of doing something knowingly positive and proper. A decision well made. Peace of mind.

Is that enough? Where’s the jouissance? They’ve palmed that bit off: to the all (opera) singing, all (meerkat) dancing, deal comparison/aggregation websites. They’re the ones pulling in the punters with their quirky characters, money-off promos, and loyalty schemes. They make the chore deal-hunting more fun, so that insurance companies et al can concentrate on the non-customer facing part.

Yup, they’ve have absolved their need to play on dormant value in their marketing, in order to capitalise on the instant gratification offered by an affiliate service, who in turn markets their insurance brand authentically — as one option among others.

So if even insurance can offer jouissance-by-proxy, then you sure as heck better believe that something like SaaS can too.

The question, however, isn’t ‘who gets to have all the fun?’. Rather it’s who collects the mon(ey)? Let’s not be coy; that’s the endgame here.

Non-marketers are often all too quick to dismiss the discipline as ‘goofing off’, forgetting that a creative marketing mindset can — gasp! — actually yield the necessary financials. Yet they miss the whole value chain — the partnerships, the affiliates, the freakin’ customer perspective.

People don’t want to buy insurance in case something bad happens one day; they want to save money now.

That’s how you overcome dormant value.

🤜

Hey! Nice to meetcha :) I’m Dave Barton: founder, writer, marketer, questioner of accepted logic. If you like what I’m saying here and wanna talk about ways to work with me, book in a call with me (I don’t bite… all that hard).

Overcoming ‘Dormant Value’ was originally published in wtAf?? on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

‘The bigger they come, the harder they fall’.

A saying I’ve never felt completely comfortable with, truth be told. But it stands to reason that the more you have at stake, the more you have to lose.

So I can’t help but feel a sense of pity towards Mindshare’s CEO, Nick Emery, whose sacking seemingly stems from a ‘juvenile prank’ that was ‘miscalculated’.

Apparently, he took a piss on a Zoom call, showing his arse to the camera in the process.

Funny? Depends who you’re asking.

Personally? Hilarious.

Would I do it? Hell. No.

To learn that someone so senior should so publicly act out is refreshing news for one (disclaimer — never met the guy or have any insider knowledge of the incident).

However, it’s also a pertinent reminder that no-one is above reproach and that we all, as employees and leaders, should demonstrate mutual respect.

But let’s look at it another way: in a world where we all highly prize real-time actions and immediate, demonstrable data-driven results, to what extent do we factor in margins of error?

Nothing or no-one can have a flawless track record. In our strive for excellence, have we lost sight of the fact that we are all guilty of lapses in judgement?

Some are, yes, more monumental than others; but show me the person who has NEVER put a foot (or arse cheek) wrong in a corporate environment — or overstepped the mark to the point of banal stupidity — and I’ll call them a blatant liar.

What I’m saying is that we should expect our leaders to be human — to be fallible; to admit when they fuck up — and show us how to apologise.

And then we need to forgive them.

Should they be dismissed for stupidity? Not unless it impacts their work or demonstrates a harmful or ill-willed nature.

I try to treat everyone I deal with in the same way. Most people are absolutely fine with this. Some senior figures however, can’t get over the fact that they’re not treated with a hierarchical reverence that plays into their inflated sense of self.

I’d like to think that these toxic mindsets are dying out — but just when you think they have, someone else shoves seniority in your face.

That’s one of the reasons I decided to go freelance. I didn’t want to manage people — I had a brush with that a while back — and the reason I failed at it was because I didn’t play the hierarchy card. And I never will. It’s a dick move.

Leaders get to where they are through a combination of merit, foresight, effort, and experience. These are qualities to respect. Just because the rest of us have these to a lesser extent, it doesn’t mean we don’t have the same potential.

But then there is the idea of leadership ‘gravitas’ — a solemnity with which we deem those in charge as somehow separate from the rest of the workforce. Attempts to overcome that, and ‘join in with everyone else’ are often misguided too (especially when alcohol’s involved — seen that firsthand).

So what’s a leader to do? Yes, they should set an example and act as a role model. But role modelling should be about showing their human side — about agreeing to disagree, balancing business needs with individual concerns, and finding win-win outcomes in all situations.

For me, leadership is about freedom and collaboration. It’s setting your own agenda and inviting others to join you — for as long as it serves their needs. I think that’s the only way to get the best out of people: to respect the fact they have their own individual work/life journeys too and that their needs will shift.

Along the way, leaders should aim to be kind, creative, and courageous. And own up to their mistakes. After all, it’s only by making mistakes that we truly learn — as long as those mistakes aren’t irrevocably damaging. But that’s not something leaders can call out themselves — it has to be those on the receiving end who make that judgement.

So was Emery’s stunt the ultimate power play? A misguided attempt to be ‘one of the gang’ by doing something no-one would expect of a leader? Did he just need a wee and forget to turn his camera off?

Who knows? At the time of writing, we’ve yet to hear his side of the story. But when we do, let’s hope there’s an honest explanation.

Too Far Up Their Own Arses? Flushing Away Toxic Leadership was originally published in wtAf?? on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Aside from jumping at the sight of a standing lamp in my peripherals during the small hours of the morning; the experience got me thinking about how the two superb directors (namely Mike Flanagan & Stanley Kubrick) behind these visual adaptations of two celebrated novels (‘The Turn Of The Screw’ &, well, ‘The Shining’) managed to faithfully translate them to the screen.

The answer is: they didn’t.

They understood that a literal ‘lift & shift’ from page to celluloid (for whatever reason) wouldn’t make sense. So they created their own interpretations.

They saw the bigger picture in both cases — & knew that to elevate the subject matter into a new medium, they’d need to offer something equally as unique — even if it meant straying from the source material.

And so it is with B2B & tech marketing. When presented with an intricately designed SaaS product or platform, why simply extol the nuts & bolts of what each one contains, when the media you’re going to use — be it a website, blog, Facebook ad, event, whatever — demands an augmented narrative?

Anything worth exploring deeper merits being looked at from a variety of perspectives — whether a painting, business proposition, or tech platform — to enrich people’s underst&ing of it. When they understand it, they relate to it, remember it, & are more likely to act on it.

And if it makes someone scream (if that’s what you’re going for), more’s the better — you got an authentic emotional reaction.

Shine On, B2B Marketer was originally published in wtAf?? on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Right up there in our personal faves are ‘Woman Yelling At Cat’, alongside ‘Philosoraptor’, ‘Hotline Bling’, and ‘Condescending Wonka’.

But what are they for?

Are they simply for ‘shits and giggles’? Comedic paraphrases with short attention spans? Are they ‘digital shorthand’ for feelings we’d otherwise express in person through a barrage of wonkily-articulated emotion? Are they next level emoticons? Or snapshots of snark?

And what of GIFs — their motion-driven counterpart? Their infinite repetition recalls Sisyphus’s eternal damnation (and all of Albert Camus’ absurdist musings on ‘the mind that desires and the world that disappoints’).

Whatever they are, it’s clear to see why they’re so coveted by B2C marketers. Their role as shareable, snackable, moments of levity is perfect for any budding brand intent on gaining ground via social media.

But why should they stay online exclusively? Where else could they live?

And are they ever useful for B2B marketers?

Answers please!

#marketing #socialmedia #content #storytelling

Whatever Do You Meme?? was originally published in wtAf?? on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

by Philip Hicks and Dave Barton

Content people — let’s confess: we’re all guilty of getting on the coronavirus bandwagon one way or another (not throwing stones here at all…).

That said, we’d be foolish not to have been tapping into the only thing that’s dominating every media and social media outlet going at the moment. As the most challenging pandemic for several generations, it has captured the zeitgeist, and will be seen as a defining moment in time for many, including disrupting the way we go about work and play, probably irreversibly.

But there’s a difference between having an opinion on the situation; having an authoritative, legitimate, informed piece of advice to share; and bending the news agenda to push an idea, product, or service.

It’s confusing, that’s for sure — especially for comms professionals. By not mentioning COVID-19 are we being callous? Is simply referring to it in our comms enough to accuse us of piggybacking on it? By fully embracing it head on are we undermining the seriousness of it? By mocking it are we being too flippant? Is that ok? Is this blog ok? Where does serious concern cross the line to become cynical exploitation?

Let’s look at a few examples, consider where we’re at right now, and then explore how we can address the topic moving forward.

Shock Value

We have already witnessed the unedifying videos of supermarket trolley wars with ‘ladies who shop’ fighting over anti-bac hand gel and toilet rolls. Not Britain’s finest hour.

Whilst the media may see this as an opportunity to highlight the worst side of human nature, some companies have called out the newly dubbed phenomena of ‘price gouging’.

Kudos to Amazon for suspending the account of a man in Chattanooga, Tennessee, who had stockpiled 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer in the hopes of re-selling the bottles on Amazon has donated his inventory, and was ‘shamed’ into donating supplies to church charities.

Real Reporting Vs. Being Relevant

Such unscrupulous behaviour can’t go unreported. But, again, do we trust media outlets enough to give us the full story?

Even the most credible statistics can run contrary to what we see happening around us. Case in point, Brexit, social media bubbles, and the silent majority.

Guess what? They’re back.

According to a report in the Evening Standard, ‘many Britons’ think Boris is doing a good job in handling the pandemic here in the UK.

Look closer, and yup, it’s a poll by uber-credible market research giant, Ipsos MORI. But look again and you’ll see it’s a poll of just over 1,000 people.

It’s always questionable when a minority is positioned as holding a majority view like this. However, just as worrying is when we learn that the upshot of being embroiled in a pandemic lockdown is the fact we’re still vulnerable to other malevolent forces too.

Consider how malicious hackers are trying to use the outbreak to steal or ransom victims’ data, as reported by Fortune magazine.

Several recent attacks have attempted to leverage the coronavirus by getting people to click on links in messages about the illness.

The Fortune article references a report by cybersecurity firm Nocturnus — spotlighting that hackers have also tried to use the influx of people working at home because of the virus to their advantage.

Cut The BS

Surely stories like this are valuable?

Positioned in this way, we can well believe there’s a need for better IT security. But doesn’t the referred to ‘report’ essentially reinforce the cybersecurity firm’s own need to be noticed? Could they be accused of profiting unscrupulously too?

An article published on Social Media Today, penned by Gartner VP, Augie Ray, has probably the most balanced perspective on these issues we’ve seen so far.

In addition to basically saying that brands need to stop chiming in on coronavirus (or words to that effect), he bemoans how many continue to practice that art of ‘virtue signalling’ describing this as ‘when your brand conspicuously expresses its values without actually taking actions to live by those values’.

It makes sense. Inboxes across the world are chock-full of such vacuous fluffery from online shops they once bought something from three years ago. And while (for some) it might be ‘nice’ to know they’re trying to show concern/be relevant in these troubled times; the proverbial straws are starting to break these camels’ backs.

Wheat From The Chaff

Most of us have seen enough now. We get it. We’re on it. So are our friends and families. Brands don’t need to remind us too. But that doesn’t mean they should stick their heads in the sand either.

We live in a time of fake news, 24 hour news coverage, content marketing, PR-ready experts, and thousands of armchair pundits. We know we can’t believe everything we read — even when it looks or sounds legitimate.

What we can do however, as marketers, is endeavour to get the balance right. This means being mindful of the ensuing uncertainty and doing what we can to provide both useful information and offers to customers where possible.

We need to take products and services out of the equation right now and focus on providing both immediate and long-term value for customers in any way we can. We need to think creatively and credibly — and avoid being reactionary.

Promote The Positive

As readers and consumers of media, well, we can only question the source of what we’re reading.

For example, a screenshot of an untraceable Sunday Sport article accusing Albanian street gangs of providing their own ‘alternative’ hand sanitiser (don’t ask…) is arguably less credible than ‘what the man in the pub said’. Plus it blatantly stirs the embers of xenophobia, giving those inclined towards it even more hate fodder.

Conversely, a BBC report on kindness and community action or ‘caremongering’ gives us both a credible story and hope that we can overcome this with support from friends and neighbours, and that we have people who care around us.

That’s the message we need to hear more of from brands. They can become part of our peripheral support networks — but their efforts need to be authentic; not fabricated for a quick win.

No-one said it was gonna be easy.

Co-written by Dave Barton and Philip Hicks.

Philip is an independent consultant providing Board-level/C-suite counsel, strategy and execution including PR, crisis communications, stakeholder engagement.

Dave is a copywriter and content marketer with a passion for all things tech and startup-focused — from blockchain to SaaS and everything in between. He seems to write a lot of blogs (which is fine by him).

Content In A Time Of COVID-19 was originally published in wtAf?? on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Works for all of that consumer stuff, right? Y’know: ice cream and pizza = fun; chocolate = sex; toilet paper = dogs etc etc.

We’ve all seen those ads so we know that the formats, tone, branding, etc won’t work for B2B marketing.

Why? Because we won’t let it.

Add the word ‘business’ into the mix and suddenly marketers conjure up a layer of super-seriousness that must neatly trouser-pressed into our overall demeanour.

A lot of B2B marketers want to talk about their product, service, experience, technology, point of difference at great length.

In. Pain. Staking. Detail. All. The. Freaking. Time.

They think it somehow justifies the cost of the service they’re providing — and it makes sense from the outside looking in.

What they tend to forget is that customers don’t actually care about most of what they have to say.

Not because they’re assholes, but because:

a) they see so many similar products and services out there

b) they need a solution to a problem

They probably have too much on their plate to read your collateral cover to cover. But that’s ok. It just means that everything you do produce needs to have impact.

You need to know who you’re talking to — that’s a given. That also means knowing where they’re at in the purchase cycle and what’s important to them.

Double down on that and TEASE out the things they need to know

Let’s not forget all B2B customers have a pulse too. They don’t need to be bored into submission. They’re wives, husbands, parents, courtesans, LARPers, Laura Dern impersonators, and Ian McShane fanatics too.

They need a break from all the serious stuff.

Sure, impact can be serious. But it can also be fun — without undermining a company’s purpose.

Why not provide that moment of levity in their working lives?

Brevity + Levity was originally published in wtAf?? on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

I was never a fan of Theresa May. And it seemed she was no fan of the ‘withdrawal method’ — at least when it came to Brexit.

Yet, she ploughed on regardless — like an erstwhile shire horse hellbent on lugging an agenda (one she neither cared for nor respected) over the ever-shifting finishing line.

She failed — and was ousted as leader after what seemed an eternity of having had her at the helm. It was in fact just two short years.

But what she did teach me was that even transient figureheads need to make an impact.

She had ample opportunity to do so: she was handed one of the biggest shit sandwiches in British political history. However, it was her need to do things ‘properly’ that ultimately led to her downfall.

Fortune favours the brave. And while leaders of any ilk — be they people managers, team leads, project/process people, or one-person startups — should avoid taking unnecessary risks with their charge’s destinies, sometimes a BLUD (a Big Largely Unpopular Decision) needs to be made.

A decision like whether we sack off the EU or hold another referendum.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Stagnation, it seems, is the biggest cause of contempt.

This is why honest, open, meaningful communication is so imperative in any leadership endeavour. Even if it’s a ‘we’re on it and we will deliver it by xxx’.

May’s ‘You must be tired of Brexit’ speech was an opportunity for her to do exactly that. But instead she pointed the finger at fellow MPs for the ongoing delay, which arguably marked the beginning of her demise.

The truth is, we all like getting results. Even if the victories are minor, we want to see that our leaders are making progress towards a bigger goal.

From a legacy perspective, would you rather be remembered as ‘The PM who couldn’t deliver Brexit’ or ‘The Wild Card Who Made It Happen’?

The Darling BLUDs Of May was originally published in wtAf?? on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.