Boring

Hugh MacLeod, author of gapingvoid.com, stated in his blog yesterday that "Advertising is the cost of being boring."   I think that is more true today than it has ever been.  

It used to be that the best way for a company to get the attention of prospective customers was to advertise in mass media forums and, if they were really working hard, get a press release or two picked up by that same mass market media .

These days, more than ever, there is a value to being a company or a brand that is unique, interesting and/or newsworthy.  More and more consumers get their information (news, product information, entertainment, etc.) via electronic media.  Electronic media differs from traditional media in many ways, but most significantly in that it is of the moment and often of the community.  It is also 24/7 and has an insatiable appetite for new content and anything that will get eyeballs to stop and look for a few seconds.

If a brand is newsworthy or interesting, it can capture the attention of a blogger.  A mention on a blog can be picked up by a larger blog or online news source.  In the blink of an eye, a quirky, risk-taking videographer or an attention-grabbing charity can be in the center of the spotlight, at least for a moment.  For a start-up company, the attention that time in the spotlight brings can be a remarkable boon.  Boring companies don't get in the spotlight.  As Mr. MacLeod suggests, they have to pay to have the spotlight shine on them.

The downside of these new rules is that the spotlight never stops moving.  You have to dance pretty hard to stay in the spotlight.  Most companies, even the most exciting and innovative ones, only cross paths with the spotlight from time to time.

Andy Warhol said that in the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.  What he didn't say was that it would be 15 seconds at a time!