10 Relationships or 5MM Impressions; Join The Conversation @JaffeJuice
A few months ago I spoke at the iMedia Agency Summit and the I made a statement that I would prefer 10 quality relationships over 5MM impressions. The audience was asked how many agreed with me and only one person stood up (I am used to people not agreeing with me, so it is cool 
)
Last week I created an audio vignette to start a conversation based on this experience. I sent it over to the Jaffe Juice podcast. Go have a listen and join the conversation.
Over the last few years I have really learned the quality of relationships in marketing. A catalyst for some of this learning has been my interactions with Joseph Jaffe. I attended a lecture that Joseph gave in 2005 (approximately) and immediately read his book and pulled in the feed for his podcast.
Over the years we have corresponded (despite the fact he has thousands of listeners, he has always gotten back to me, even before he knew who I was). As a result of my belief in Joseph’s ideas, and his genuine nature towards his community, I have bought many copies of his books (potentially even 30…and I am not done buying yet) for clients and colleagues (Joe, I don’t know if I ever told you but we try to keep at least 5 copies of “Life After The 30 Second Spot” at the office at all times. People are always taking them though!)
So What Is The Lesson Here?
By nurturing one quality relationship, Joseph Jaffe has sold more copies of his book than if he had gone out and bought 5MM impressions on an ad network, hands down!
Furthermore, for each 5th person that I bought a copy, there is probably one that bought a copy (or recommended a purchase) for someone else. Joseph did not need any sophisticated technology to make initial headway into my social graph.
…and not this blog post. This post may reach a few hundred more people and one or two of them may buy a book by Jaffe, and so on and so forth!
I am thinking about putting together a spreadsheet for media planners (as a joke, it is really not necessary) with different media scenarios based on what has been discussed here. Feel free to send ideas!
Tags: Joseph Jaffe, Social Graph, Life After The 30 Second Spot, Jaffe Juice
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Tags: Blog, Headway, Join the Conversation: How to Engage Marketing-Weary Consumers with the Power of Community Dialogue and Partnership, Joseph Jaffe, Life After the 30-Second Spot: Energize Your Brand With a Bold Mix of Alternatives to Traditional Advertising, Marketing, Podcast, social networking
Feb 01, 2008
I just spoke on an Atlanta Interactive Marketing Assoc panel on the impact of Virtual Worlds. There were 200 people markedly dubious about Virtual Worlds and when the “the numbers are too low” argument was raised, I said the same thing.
Actually, I said “it’s time to rethink the numbers game” and there were audible gasps. Real value is in the strength of the closest bonds, not the sheer number of drive-by impressions. True reach is achieved by daisy chaining those connections, not in merely amassing clicks.
Feb 01, 2008
Thanks Rhonda!
It is great to hear that so many people are out there fighting the good fight!
What would be really cool is if you can send an audio comment about your experience to the Jaffe Juice listeners at 206-203-3255
Feb 03, 2008
[...] characteristically link readers to other cool sites, articles, posts and media on the Web. I thought it was really cool to see a traditional publication linking to [...]
Feb 03, 2008
Adam,
Is there room for both? Meaning the 5MM impressions and the 10 quality relationships? The major impressions plant the seed in our heads about the brand. This makes your advertisers happy. But the advertiser is convinced by smart people like you and rohnda that its not just about impressions anymore – one of hte end goals of the impressions is to create quality relationships. The advertiser embraces this idea and nurtures the 1, 10 or 1000 quality relationships that arise from their 5MM impressions.
Jeremy Beyda
Feb 03, 2008
Jeremy
I do agree that impressions can lead to relationships, but I feel a lot of marketers and advertisers are going after mass first simply because it is the “tried and true” method (it is also easier to do).
I think the point here is that the relationship is most important, no matter how it is procured, but procurement of quality relationships is not always easy, and we must always think outside the box to achieve these ends.
For some, punching out at 5 and collecting a paycheck suffices, but those of us looking towards the future of marketing know that “tried and true” methodology needs to be challenged.
Jan 28, 2009
[...] By the looks of things the company received hundreds responses. What is more important, I bet that each respondent told an average of 3 people about this contest, and each of those three probably told one person (10 relationships or 5MM impressions anyone?) [...]
Mar 08, 2009
[...] I know stand with one foot weighted more heavily on the marketing/PR side of the fence. I listen as the PR 2.0 zealots preach the gospel of earned media, conversation and community. I have drunk the Kool-Aid and truly believe that 10 relationships are more important than 5 million impressions. [...]