Advertising is Good (and Bad) … But not Evil

Pete Cashmore posted “Twitter Ads Are Evil: Here’s Why” on Mashable Nov 29.  The post earned a large amount of notice on Twitter.  Pete is one of my favorite writers, and I was interested in his opinion on this hot topic.  I found I agree with Pete on many of his points.  But I disagree with his overall take.  First the agreements:

1) I agree with Pete that “interruption marketing” is old and lame.  However, I’ll observe that research shows Tivo users watch ads they find engaging.  This may just be laziness, but it is fascinating behavior.  If people really hated the commercials that much, wouldn’t the number of those not skipping ads be much lower?

2) I also agree that paid recommendations destroy trust.  I’ve been very uneasy about the “sponsored tweets” phenomenon.  Viewed benignly, they are no more harmful than your neighbor accepting money to have his car shrink wrapped in a company’s logo.  Viewed more darkly, it’s insideous and calls into question whether any recommendations are genuine or paid.

3) It’s true that the web has added trust and attention back to the conversational equation, although I argue that it’s not that different from many other media in that regard.  (This point is fodder for a separate, interesting discussion.)

4) In his last point, Pete gets to the heart of the discussion.  Advertisers need to provide value, whether diversion (“Will it blend?”) or simply special offers.  I agree that this characterizes the most effective marketing (anywhere, not just on Twitter).

So having agreed on these points with Pete, where do I disagree with his overall message?

Categorically, advertising is not evil, it’s free speech.  Like free speech, it’s crucial to a civil democracy, and it does have an ugly side.  Assuming Twitter remains primarily free (aside from policing the worst kinds of spam), we will see every flavor of advertising on Twitter.

For this reason, beyond saying all but the most egregious spamming has a right to publication, I cannot pass judgment on advertising on Twitter.

I want to emphasize: my own personal taste is right in line with Pete’s.  Be honest, give me some kind of value and form a relationship I can trust, and I’ll probably enjoy your marketing on Twitter.  Paid endorsements and near-spam are not effective with me.

But what will determine what advertising works on Twitter will not be Pete’s personal response or mine.  Different participants will respond to different styles of marketing.

As Pete notes, the smart companies, like Dell and Best Buy, are already figuring out ways to reach customers on Twitter consistently, honestly, engagingly and effectively.  Let’s watch that evolution continue.  And may be best marketing prevail.

—Lisa