Armadillo Marketing

"Armadillo Marketing" is when bloggers, podcasters (and yes, even ad agencies) create things that are really only of value to the creator.  Even if all of the infrastructure, messaging brilliance, and creative juice is totally in-place you can still have an armadillo.  Armadillo marketing is all vanity - it is inward facing and has a hard shell on the outside to prevent anyone else from getting in. And when you are all rolled up in a ball you are likely to get run over or kicked out of the way (the small guy can kick you out of the way like a soccer ball and the big guy can squish you with her SUV).

Armadillo marketing isn't wrong when its creator is aware that he or she is doing it (and doing it for practice as they hone their craft).  Or, if the client has a lot of money to blow to create "brand awareness" without direct calls to action (most obvious example:  Ad agencies outdoing each other with their superbowl ads).

If you are a client of an agency or a consultant that is foisting armadillos at you all the time you should kick them out of the way or squish them.

-Best regards,

Gary Dietz at 6by7 Reports

Comments

[Charlie Wood]

And remember, the armadillo is the only animal other than man that carries leprosy.

I'm not sure exactly how that fits your metaphor, but I feel compelled to offer that factoid whenever armadillos come up.

:-)

[Dan Tudor]

Whenever I do work for a client, I insist that there be a large part of my compensation that revolves around a measureable effectiveness of the campaign, and payment that is tied to it. Basically, a "performance bonus". If the campaign doesn't work, I don't get paid as much. If it goes gang busters, I get rewarded with more than I would normally make. Its fair, its measureable, its customer-driven (I actually give them the power to determine how "effective" is defined and measured, and its resulted in some great projects that keep me on my toes and honest. It's also resulted in repeat business.

You term "Armadillo marketing" is great...love it. If you do any driving through Texas or Oklahoma, you know what happens to Armadillos who ball up in the middle of the road. That should be a lesson to all sales professionals, consultants, and ad folks.

Great post.

[Maryann Devine]

Being an on-staff marketer for a nonprofit org, I'd say armadillo marketing is also the ad you buy because your board member wants to see it in a particular magazine, or the copy you add for internal polical reasons, or the banners you hang because you always do it. Anything that is, in reality, not meaningful to your particular customer or constituent.

[Anonymous]

There is already a term called M&M security, which is having a strong firewall but no internal security. Not sure how long it's been around, but Kevin Mitnick uses it in his book.

[Scott Young]

You can see this a lot in amateur blogs. People who are blogging solely for self-interest.

My favorite quote that reminds me to avoid this comes from a comedian.

"Do you know who cares more about your problems than you do?"
-Pause-
"Nobody."

Strangers don't care about your problems or your personal issues.

[Joel Cohen]

I think it's a lousy word. There's a lot of Armadillo road-kill.

Joel Cohen
www.RestaurantMarketing.com

[Todd]

You just described nearly every advertising portfolio I've ever seen.

[Editor]

LOL.

I just realized I am the proud owner of one little efficient armadillo. No surprise I am the sole user of my web-based feed reader. I personally love it! I only wish the 'I' could become millions.

Could anyone suggest how to transform armadillo marketing into a rabbit's warfare where everything and their mother multiplies?

[Jonathan Hernandez]

Oh, how I love these buzz terms.

[ellaela-ys]

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