lustratus REPAMA

Without the benefit of a classical education I can’t be sure, but I think the Latin in the title says something like “not right to reveal secrets”.  It’s the motto of the Magic Circle – an organisation that guards its magic secrets jealously.  I wonder what would motivate a magician to leave the ‘circle and expose the tricks behind the “magic” and in doing so disappoint people everywhere with the realisation that the women doesn’t really get sawn in two but is in fact two very small women bred specifically for the act.  Probably.

Funnily enough an ex-colleague of mine suggested that I might be doing the same thing by blogging on some of the techniques used by marketing folks to stretch the truth and un-level the playing field.  It appears that my mate is concerned that our profession might get itself a bad name.  But I’m afraid it might be a little too late for that and anyway I’m not simply looking to expose crude marketing techniques with this blog.  I’m attempting to a) highlight both good and bad marketing techniques and b) analyse the output of marketing organisations to infer the real facts behind their highly polished press releases and their gleaming web sites.

In the UK we have a phrase “poacher turned gamekeeper” which I think is apt here.  I’d like to think we can make the marketing process more precise so that the best products can get into the hands of the people who need them.  I do sound rather righteous there don’t I.  In either case I’m certainly not attempting to be that magician that breaks rank and goes on an ephemerally short exposé career on TV chat shows.

But then again, I wouldn’t mind being the Penn and Teller of the marketing world.

Dan

Similar posts include:

1. Standards-based marketing – an antidote "Broaden the Debate" Part 4 Part 4 – Broaden the Debate I’m continuing this series of blogs here by looking at the techniques that...
2. Standards-based marketing – an antidote “Be holier than thou” Part 6 So closing out this series of posts looking at differentiation in markets where technical standards have caused little technical...
3. Standards-based marketing – an antidote "Sell Differently" Part 3 Part 3 – Sell Differently I’m continuing this series of blogs here by looking at the techniques that software...
4. The Psychology of Decision Making Carrying on from my blog on “corporate shyness”, I’m looking here at the different ways we evaluate information and...
5. Is this slowdown real? I don’t mean to be crass here and I know that I’ve asked this question before, but I have...