Clutter: Are You a Major Contributor?

“Advertisements are now so numerous that they are very negligently perused, and it is therefore become necessary to gain attention by magnificence of promises, and by eloquence sometimes sublime and sometimes pathetic.” -- Samuel Johnson

The above quote, first written in 1759, gives us a clear indication that advertising or marketing "clutter" is not particularly new. However, some of the more modern day contributors and culprits may very well be. The rise of social media and its widespread availability has ushered in a new form of advertiser and marketer not seen or dealt with in the past. Who is it? It's you -- and it's me.

Going back to 2004, I can remember giving presentations stating the average consumer was being bombarded by more than 3,600 messages every day. While its accuracy can always be debated, I think we can agree it's a big number and it's only gotten bigger as the years have gone by.  But, I'm thinking the ever-increasing number of marketing messages may not be as significant to today's clutter factor as is the source of some of those messages -- you and me.

There is no doubt that technology has leveled the playing field for business owners, entrepreneurs, and self-employed professionals. With the help of the Internet and affordable software, it is now possible to run a multi-million dollar business out of our home with every bit of the sophistication, or at least the look, of yesterday's best brick and mortar businesses. The same technology has also given us access to social media channels and an individual reach potential that was not really accounted for in that modern era called 2004. In fact, Facebook was just launched that same year and would not become widely available until late 2006. 

So while advertising access was largely in the hands of the "professionals" and controlled through rather expensive media options, a new day was coming and with it a whole new breed of marketers, authors, publishers, gurus, and experts. In this new marriage of access and technology we were about to get our chance to do our own marketing, without editing, without review, and without restraint -- and we've been more than happy to make it happen -- for better and for worse.

In a January 2015 article, How to Break Through the Social Media Clutter, Travis Huff talks about the impact of social media and the necessity of effective marketing strategies and content. He says:

"Social media use is growing by leaps and bounds every day and popular networks like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are among some of the most crowded corners of the internet. Let’s look at some stats:

●     Social media spam rose 355 percent in the first half of 2013

●     Between 5 and 11 percent of Facebook accounts are fake

●     Twitter adds 11 new accounts per second every day

●     YouTube users upload 48 hours of new video of every minute of each day

With so much happening so quickly on social media networks, is it even possible for brands to stand out and get noticed?"

With these stats and information in mind, I go back to the Samuel Johnson quote and his seemingly prophetic observation that "it is therefore become necessary to gain attention by magnificence of promises, and by eloquence sometimes sublime and sometimes pathetic.” With great power does indeed come great responsibility. While we all want to freely market and brand ourselves, our products, and our services, it is my hope that we will do all in our power to be a whole lot more sublime and a whole lot less pathetic in our efforts. For most of us, seeking the help of a qualified, proven, and professional marketer or marketing company is probably a good idea and I highly recommend it.

Advertising clutter is nothing new and will of course always exist, whether in the hands of the professional marketer or in the hands of the entrepreneurial beginner. The level to which it affects the marketplace and our customers and our prospects is largely up to us and the responsibility we take in learning to be as effective as possible. May we be magnificent and may we be eloquent in all our marketing pursuits.

Your comments and observations are most welcome.