No, I won't recommend you.

Buying things used to be so much simpler.  You went to a store, checked out a small selection of options, bought one, paid for it in cash and you were done.  Now it seems that with every purchase I make, or service I use, online or off,  I am expected to take a quiz too.

I get it.  Research says that reviews matter.  A recent article pointed out that obscure hotels were benefiting from the exposure that positive reviews can bring.  (McGinty, 2016)  But what's in it for me?

A chance at a prize?  Really?  Do you get paid in lottery tickets?  I sure don't.  Not to mention the fact that most of the products and services I buy are average.  Why would I take the time to fill out a review for an average product?

On occasion, when service warrants it I do want to provide feedback.  But I am only asked a single question - will you recommend us?  No.  Because I am not paid to do your marketing for you.  It's really as simple as that.

McGinty, J. (2016, November 18)  For Hotels, Online Reviews Really Matter to the Bottom Line.  wsj.com.  Retrieved June 10, 2017, from https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-hotels-online-reviews-really-matter-to-the-bottom-line-1479477602

If you want sales, why are you rewarding engagement instead?

The title of my book - Why Does It Make You Want To Buy Something?  is meant to be a reminder for marketers that good marketing sells stuff.  That is its purpose.  If it doesn't sell stuff then someone gets fired - usually the agency.  Or the company goes under.

So why aren't companies aligning incentives with sales goals?

According to TrackMaven's 2017 Marketing Leadership Survey, despite the fact that 61% of marketers say their top objective is to increase sales, only 23% of compensation is based on revenue.  Instead marketers are being evaluated based on engagement (91%), consumption (82%) and audience growth (78%) despite the inability to show any correlation between these measures and sales growth. (Loechner, 2017)

Yes, that's right.  71% say their top challenge is attributing the revenue impact of social and content marketing.  (Burney, 2017)  So why assume that it is having any positive impact on the bottom line at all? 

It wasn't such a big deal when digital costs were low, but these days a premium Instagram campaign costs $1 million.  For that amount of money you could run a solid month of advertising on network television, which is still the most effective marketing medium.  And since Americans 18-24 are watching 15 hours and 36 minutes of traditional television a week, you won't lack opportunities to reach them. (2017)

No wonder I just saw a commercial for Harry's.

Loechner, J. (2017, May 4)  mediapost.com.  Misalignment Of Incentives With Goals Plagues Marketers.  Retrieved May 5, 2017, from

https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/300186/misalignment-of-incentives-with-goals-plagues-mark.html

Burney, K. (2017, April) What Marketing Leaders Think About Strategy, Technology, and Data-Driven Change.  trackmaven.com.  Retrieved May 5, 2017, from

https://trackmaven.com/blog/marketing-leaders-strategy-technology-data/

(2017, April 24) The State of Traditional TV: Updated With Q4 2016 Data.  marketingcharts.com.  Retrieved May 5, 2017, from

http://www.marketingcharts.com/television/are-young-people-watching-less-tv-24817/