As Marketing Shifts Back to the Everyman

May 19, 2009 · Comments

Every Man

There’s a reason people send me products. I’m not an expert. I write about them (or the ones that capture my attention) from the point of view of “some guy with a blog who got something sent to him.” It doesn’t hurt that my blog is popular, but that alone isn’t a good reason to send someone something. It doesn’t hurt that I have a reputation as being a nice guy, so I’m not likely to bitch and complain (though I do give my negative opinions, should I have them).

The reason that people send me products is that I’m the new “everyman.” I’m the point-of-view character who just messes with your thing, or reads your book, or makes a goofy video, and shares with people what I think might be interesting to my audience. It’s that last part that matters the most, though. You knew that.

Marketing is shifting away from impersonal interactions and back towards the more effective world of word of mouth. Blended with the world of word-of-mouth, however (or maybe more accurately, I should say that word of mouth is only one tool in the bag), are sponsored conversations. Ted Murphy just recorded a video about these recently. The only difference is that in one, things happen a bit more organically. In the other, there’s a bit of a push (which usually involves money or a product or a service changing hands).

To me, they’re like a driver and a putter (not that I play golf). Getting people to pay attention in this saturated market is requiring more and more creative marketing. I, for one, see that to be content marketing. But once you get onto the green (or in the financial sense, the case to earn some green), I think word of mouth is the more finesse-level tool. Make sense?

So when I get to play with a nifty camera or drink 30 year old whisky or get a chance to do something neato like that, just realize that I’m also part of a larger story, and that’s the story of the marketing world looking for a new kind of everyman (and I mean women, as well – the mommyblogger community is definitely alive and well with this experience).

Is it effective? I say yes, but ONLY if there is trust and transparency involved in the process. If people aren’t disclosing the relationships up front, and not respecting their community, I can see this failing fast. It’s up to us, but then, isn’t that the beauty of this new world? It’s always up to us.

What say you?

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.

Tagged as: , , , ,

ChrisBrogan.com runs on the Thesis Theme for WordPress

Thesis WordPress theme

Thesis is the search engine optimized WordPress theme of choice for serious online publishers. If you’re a blogger who doesn’t understand a lot of PHP, Thesis will give a ton of functionality without having to alter any code. For the advanced, Thesis has incredible customization possibilities via Thesis hooks.

With so many design options, you can use the template over and over and never have it look like the same site. The theme is robust and flexible enough not only to accommodate a site like ChrisBrogan.com, but also to enable the site to run far more efficiently than it ever has before.

  • Not to sound like an ass-kisser, but I'd hardly call you an "everyman." "Everyman" doesn't have 20 million blog subscribers and twitter followers like you do. The marketing world has definitely discovered a new world of everymen and everywomen--the kind who look, in "real life," like regular people but who have the power to reach millions. It's their dream come true. Not to mention a dream-come-true job for the lucky few who have the kind of following big companies look for when trying to find bloggers to do their bidding.

    I second what Mack Collier said--you do a very good job at disclosure/transparency.

    I do wonder--especially in the case of some of the mommybloggers--whether they're getting short-changed. Some of them seem to put a LOT of time and effort into their blogs, which feature tons of ads and sponsored conversation and I wonder if they're making any real money or just getting thrown a pack of free diapers or some coupons in exchange for advertising that's earning the companies real money.
  • I say bravo. It's all part of the power shift from corporate to consumer. It's not the ONLY way to market to your customers, but again another part of your overall strategy to reach an audience. Social recommendations definitely are growing in importance. I believe customers will soon expect to see feedback about products on every site. If they cannot easily get feedback from their peers, the majority of people probably won't bother researching it any further, instead they'll look for the sites that do allow for feedback/recommendations... or they'll find the recommendations on a blog they trust... much like yours.
  • @timjahn - agreed that perceived reach has a tremendous amount to do with it. Why would a company ask for my opinion when I only have 180 subscribers? Even if I WAS representative of "everygirl", how loud do I really speak? in comparison to some, my voice is fairly quiet. It's still a numbers game, even with all the transparency and "nice-guyness" in the world.

    @scottscanlon - If the target IS the bubble, then indeed it works. But I do think there HAS to be room for both strategies. Mass marketing is about volume and reach. Micro marketing is about trust. How many sales does Company A really expect to gain off of one video review on a popular blog? I think their expectation is much lower in this realm. Then again, so is their budget, right? Word of mouth works, it's true, but only in conjunction with more traditional forms of marketing. It's not a replacement.
  • greggrss10
    @suzemuse i totally agree with your second comment. the two do, for now, have to go hand in hand. of course, the online marketing is becoming more and more successful. look at the blair witch project or snakes on a plane. tons of web buzz and both turned out to be blockbuster.
  • Chris, I believe that you need to be reputable and have interesting things to say and have a compelling way to put your ideas out there, whether it be video or writing. The old school marketing types did have lots of interesting things to say, but they said them and acted behind the guise of a superiority complex that made their decisions inaccessible and less and less real and valuable to people who actually tried to dissect the message. At least when I come to your page and discect whatever it is you're talking about, I can feel like you're a person who's putting himself out there for interaction, rather than just to tell me what's good and what isn't.
  • mistressmia
    For me, being able to be a "mistress" in the real world of marketing and sitting through the gasps of my existence ... when the story is done and told and real people have a chance to share their story ... mine is not nearly as exciting as the ones I get to keep in confidence. Fact is that authenticity is bringing me closer to the people I really want to work with.
  • Let's take shampoo. There are so many clones and variations and slightly different instances of it out there that is simply impossible to make a rational decision about it. Maybe you could if you'd take some parameters of each product and work some statistics software on it and then compare it with another statistics of what people say these parameters are you could try to do that. And it still wouldn't be accurate. It takes a lot of time and causes a lot of anxiety. (Not to mention some don't even buy statistics at all.)

    So we cannot take a decision.

    What next? The homunculus in our cranium goes mad "Let's use the other strategy!" So, we'll happily choose something that makes us feel. Something. Whatever, but let it be good.

    And your everyman can transfer exactly that. And we transfer back to him the responsibility for taking the decision. Ta-da!
  • Jason
    Like a joe Six Pack for marketing!
  • To you point, the overall idea of 3rd party validation isn't necessarily taking a new view of 'street cred' or marketing - to me, it's opening up to the idea that there is some incredible value when someone like Chris Borgan or Jason Falls (or Narciso Tovar, for that matter) can give their two cents on a thing or two. It's not like having a Michael Jordan or Oprah endorsement would hurt (oy, vey); but being able to connect with that 'real person' (the everyman) makes a difference - you're no longer a BIG BRAND trying to get some sales...you're a company that is opening itself up to things like
    * change
    * new ideas
    * less 'control'

    I, for one, aplaude it.
  • J.T. O'Donnell
    I don't see it failing - just getting better. What I love about the 'everyman' concept of selling is we now have the tools to decide if we think the every day guy or gal sharing their experience is legit.

    I've been following your blog for a while, I like what you do - it makes sense to me. So, yes, I'm going to assume that you have some good insight into the products you are testing. However, I'm not going to feel the same way about the someone who I don't have this past knowledge of.

    We are learning to understand our audiences and who connects with them. We are also putting our faith in our products and services and letting them sell themselves.

    My favorite rule of thumb in selling: "Ask, don't tell." I think we are seeing how the everyman strategy supports that brilliantly.
  • I agree that the "everyman" approach is ONE way for marketers to reach their audience. But let's be realistic - in the case of your blog, Chris, we're talking about some 20,000 subscribers, of which likely a smallish percentage may actually act upon your message.

    I'm not saying that you don't have a broad and engaged audience - you most certainly do - in the world of social media. But my point is there's a bigger world out there - there are still SO many people out there who don't "get" blogs, don't "get" new media, especially as a format for learning about new products. Heck, I had to explain newsreaders to three people just this past weekend!

    We forget that we still live in a bit of a bubble with this stuff. Sure, it has to do with our demographic, our lines of business, and probably our geekiness too.

    Everyman? Sure, I'll take it as one approach. I'll personally probably buy some of the stuff you're reviewing too, because I know you, I like you and I and trust your opinion. But it's not about to replace the mass marketing approach. Because I bet you big companies like Apple are still more interested in reaching millions, not thousands.

    Of course, those people in your audience of 20,000 also have a lot of friends they can share the message with - and that's where things get really interesting when it comes to word of mouth.

    Thanks for making me think... :)
  • DC
    If the TV networks had an audience of 100K they'd probably kill themselves. But the everyman approach is much more economical - and perhaps more effective and produces better verifiable results. And perhaps it's a new paradigm of doing an honest marketing with a feedback loop. Time will tell.
  • Hi Chris - What a fun time you must have!

    I have felt for sometime now that the 'man in the street' - the actual purchaser is the quality control department for a lot of manufacturers.

    Especially true of cars and electrical goods judging by the amount of reviews I've seen when I've been looking to make a purchase.

    I even dabbled myself with what I thought was a reasoned and well constructed review of a iPhone holder for my car. In fact I even revisited my purchase a couple of months later and gave a perspective based on actual daily use.

    http://purple13.blogspot.com/2009/04/kensington...

    This sort of long-term test is invaluable i feel. It's all well and good tv celebs driving something when its brand new but what about when its a few years old?

    You keep doing what you doing Chris. Perhaps there's a missed social marketing opportunity for the actual manufacturers?

    Jonathan
  • Authenticity and transparency say it all to me. Hmmm, so I wonder what I need to send you if I want you to promote me and my brand?
  • You know, if you're getting the product for free so that you can talk about it, that's kind of the push. It's not as obvious as someone getting paid to talk about a product, but it's still there. You've gotten something for free, you're more likely to be positive about it. The everyday man responses that are more meaningful are the ones where someone spontaneously feels the need to talk about a product that they've come across in their day-to-day lives.
  • I completely agree, I think word of mouth is a strong basis for most of our decisions as consumers and the world of blogging opens that up in a whole new way. A trusted blogger with an extensive following is now on par with many other powerful media figures and that's quite a lot of influence for the "everyday" guy.

    I for one support this brave new world :)
  • I would completely agree with you, Chris. And I think the new job of the marketer is to make sure that the "every man" stories are aggregated and put together in a way that the prosumers can understand and relate to.

    The creativity that can come out of these "every man" stories can spark a national campaign with a better chance of succeeding compared to forced focus groups and brainstorms sessions with paid creatives (not that I wouldn't use creatives but this would be another idea they could build upon).
  • Great post! Keep them comming Chris. Transparency is very important and I think the word of mouth attitude will grow much larger as social media becomes more accepted. In my niche it is most beneficial. The decision to buy is ultimately an individual one, especially if your decision effects a large company or group. Many perspectives are a good thing.

    In the nonprofit world it is a godsend where we look at issues such as fair trade and transparancy along trade routes in conflict zones. Word or mouth is helpful beyond words!
  • I don't think this can fail for one reason: Transparency/Disclosure. You accomplish those two things up front then I don't see how you could go wrong.

    The key is this. You are simply promoting/talking about something because you think it's cool. They sent it to you so you have to disclose your relationship and then you have to write a genuine article about your experience. Just be honest if the product sucks (I know you will).
  • I'm along the lines of Suzemuse with this one. "Social media" is still a bubble full of people who "get it". There's a wide world out there of people who don't "get it". So these companies aren't really reaching the "everyman"...they're reaching a small segment of the overall market that is communicating in these channels.

    And I'm willing to bet the reason you're asked to review products is more for the fact that you have 23,243 readers (as of this writing) than the fact that you're an "everyman". If they truly wanted to reach joe schmoes, wouldn't they just pick random bloggers with some readers rather than bloggers with at least 20,000 readers?

    I love what you do Chris and enjoy your conversations, don't get me wrong. But I find it far fetched that you're the "everyman" these days.
  • Julia
    how long will this 'new' marketing tool last, you think? how long before corporations move onto the next big thing? how long before social media becomes tainted by commercialisation and deceit and readers become jaded?
  • Looking at traditional media, 100 years and counting?
  • Kate Schmeltzer
    I agree with Narciso in regards to celebrity endorsement. It's old and overplayed. The Everyman is new, fresh and authentic. If there's an interesting product, I'd rather read or watch a transparent review on this blog, than watch a glitzy commercial or an anonymous, poorly-written blurb on Amazon!
  • Agree that you are an "everyman" type of guy, but so am I, so are so many others. Clearly your popularity and blog traffic allow your everyman sense to be seen more and to receive more products, etc. which is absolutely great. I agree that being honest and transparent and relating to your audience is key, but let's not forget that without the popularity, the products wouldn't be there.
  • Great article, I've been thinking about becoming and "every man" blogger myself.
  • @suzemuse - I often remind myself and people I work with that we often do live in a bubble, of course if your target market is that bubble then the approach here is spot on.

    Really what we are talking about is people will take an endorsement from someone they have a connection with, someone they feel is like them. Isn't it much more effective to have 2 or 3 people communicate the coolness of our product above a celebrity endorsement?

    @julia I also wonder how long this trend will last, I think it will always be an effective tool if used correctly, they key is what Chris pointed to in trust and transparency.
  • Mark
    Great post - you make "everymen" everywhere jealous. Good for you. And thanks for the link to that video.
  • EH
    Marketers have already coined "the Oprah Effect" is the "Chris Brogan Effect" next? Haha.
    I think word of mouth still is the most convince form of marketing. Why? Because if people share it with people it means that they think it holds value for themselves or for others. If they trust it, like it, or think it's worth it, they will continue to share it and tell others about it. That right there is a stronger selling point than any ad.
  • What say I? First, I need to take more pictures of myself so I can make a sweet collage. Second, congratulations on becoming the new "everyman". I read because I like your perspective and you're consistent. Lastly, my goal for today is to get you to comment on my blog at righteousmarketing.com. The post is written as somewhat of an homage to your style, though the post is about the demise of MySpace. What say you?
  • derekshowerman
    Chris, love the post. I recently posted a blog about ROI. That is the driver in the end. I say it might be more cost effective to create user community where a a handful of loyal customers play with new products and transparently chat about their experience with the products. In the end it is cheaper to give a few products away and document their play time instead of conducting traditional push advertising. Along the way companies will no doubt get some valuable innovation suggestions for future versions. Cheaper and viral marketing campaign with innovation ops rolled in. I would say that is ROI!
  • Ted
    I say that you need to be careful what you suggest we purchase. I bought the Manifesto based on your recommendation. It sucked. Not only was it extremely shallow and self-serving, the story lines were not at all compelling. Very little research was done on the topics addressed, and you could get more long term focus by reading fortune cookie messages. At least then, I'd have a decent meal for my money.
  • I only hope that the everyman stays the everyman, and doesn't become the every man's man http://bit.ly/axtcS. Proposed FTC updates may keep that from happening (http://bit.ly/bT7Z1), but it will ultimately fall to folks like you to keep honesty from being hone$ty.
  • I really liked the article. While I don't totally agree with the "everyman" because it's a bit hard to generalize. We all have various subgroups we're a part of. I like the underlying sense of trust and peoples interactions with each other by Word Of Mouth.
  • First, I love your "everyman" pics. Second, I'd love to have your job. Free stuff is always fun. More seriously: I believe social media/online marketing was destined to become popular. But I believe the downturn in the economy catapulted people's need to find cheaper and more streamlined ways to promote themselves and their businesses. A perfect storm for the power of "everyman" (or woman).

    Leslie
  • Did you see the Today Show this morning - 25th anniversary of The Cosby Show? The quintessential "everyman" family starring everyman Bill Cosby. But Mr. Cosby really isn't everyman, now is he? Multi-millionaire superstar everyman.... How about Chris- is he really everyman, or is he a gatekeeper, shill for 'the man' (doubt it), sounding board, radio dj, activist or something else? Chris is something, but he aint everyman - and he shouldnt be. The thing is, I trust Chris, and dont even know him....
  • Posts like this *are* the reason you are so loved and respected in the blogging community.


    "The reason that people send me products is that I’m the new “everyman.” I’m the point-of-view character who just messes with your thing, or reads your book, or makes a goofy video, and shares with people what I think might be interesting to my audience. It’s that last part that matters the most, though."

    Excellent.
  • Very provocative post mate. I’m all for sponsored conversations and find the trajectory of marketing, its transition and reinvention in the new 'connected' economy, incredibly fascinating.

    As a person deeply involved in social engagement programs involving online influencers, the topic of transparency is high on our agenda. Will we? Won't we? Will they ever know? Is it even important? The question I find myself asking most often is, "Should the rules of engagement change, depending on the context?"

    As your post title highlights, there’s a dramatic shift in marketing back to everyman. I find that many organisations I work with are a./ large brands who find the notion of openly engaging consumers very uncomfortable (because they’re not used to it) and b./ they’re now experiencing a state of ‘forced reliance’ upon everyman to endorse products, services, events, et al (due to irreversible shifts in media consumption patterns).

    Whilst I believe it’s okay to fly under the radar to observe and monitor what’s happening online, when it comes to engagement a whole new set of rules kick in. IMHO, transparency is absolutely vital to building a value exchange of any depth and integrity. We've seen the results of brands acting covertly, i.e. outed, blacklisted, under siege from angry influencers, so it's fair to say the demand for transparency is a direct reflection of communities fed up with being hustled, herded, manipulated, and coerced, by marketers.

    Without transparency there's essentially nothing to leverage or build trust upon. Without trust, establishing a meaningful interaction and ongoing value exchange is near impossible. Transparency sets a precedent for open and honest debate and creates an opportunity to be objectively critical on the grounds of shared interest. If a brand has nothing to hide - they should be leaping at this opportunity! Transparency enables marketers to have a voice, to participate and collaborate as equals, to drive creativity and innovation forward in a much bigger dialogue and ongoing value exchange :)
  • "The reason that people send me products is that I’m the new “everyman.”"

    I think people send you products for three reasons:

    1 - You have a popular blog

    2 - You have the trust of your blog's readership

    3 - You enjoy reviewing products

    I really don't think most companies see you as an 'everyman', in fact they probably view as a 'cewebrity'.

    But I do agree completely on properly disclosing the relationship. You do an excellent just with this, and that's a big reason why your readership trusts you.
  • That's pretty slick (in it's BEST meaning) Chris, becoming a respected authority in your own opinion (what a niche!).

    Peace and Love,
    DeeJay
  • When I first dove into the deep end of social media, the water seemed cold and the bottom of the pool was far. Thankfully I know how to swim. But the experience became more enjoyable when I was able to find other swimmers trying to do the same thing.

    Then suddenly an impromptu pool party broke out. Then the pool got bigger and the music louder. Burgers were sizzling on the BBQ and there seemed to be plenty of room for everyone.

    If you - Mr. Everyman - has taught us anything - it that we are all able to find our voice. Loud, quiet, it matters not. This is not about the numbers of connections, friends or followers in our pool but rather the quality of the conversations within it.

    The price of admission is listening and contributing. This does take time but the investment is worth it. Relationships aren't formed simply by word of mouse.

    @knealemann
  • Leslie Whittaker
    It's great that power is shifting to the consumers instead of remaining in the hands of corporations. No longer do we feel duped by major corporations. We can see a product and research about it online. Looking to regular consumers like you who will provide us with a truthful review of the product free of the corporate bias.
  • I agree that word of mouth marketing, the voice of everyman, works right now but it is our responsibility to be honest and authentic with what we say or it wont work in the future.

    Ford Motor Co. is sure counting on it working with their social media experiment.
  • IMHO, paying for Sponsored Conversations is just a cop-out for not cultivating your brand's own influencers and champions. It's a tactical short-cut to generate some quick buzz, but it's not strategically sustainable.
  • I love the idea of everyman marketing for all the reasons you list Chris, and also because everyman marketing is without so much hype. It's down to earth. It's like all the pics of yourself that you've posted on this blog. It's you, with hair, without hair, looking strange, cool, or whatever. You are everyman. While it's important to be professional, as you point out with transparency, it's also important to be personal. When I read your blog I get that transparency is not just about disclosing relationships up front, but also about honesty about where you are today and personalization. You're a very cool role model. Thanks!
  • Hi Chris

    Can I start by saying you're awesome. I love your blog, and I think you are right on about people looking for the "new every-man" ... well maybe not "every-man". People will follow the niches that they are interested in (Seth might call them tribes) and they look for leaders that give that tribe information and direction.

    I definitely see you as one of those Leaders.

    I think however you (read all of us) need to be careful.

    You did a video blog recently discussing three books.

    http://www.chrisbrogan.com/connecting-connectin...

    I am sorry to say that this was probably the first time I was disappointed in any content you have provided. In my opinion, it lacked any commitment and therefore credibility, if only because the books didn't even looked read.

    I know you said you had "skimmed", but it is in that I think you need to be careful. I wasn't really convinced you were really that interested, and therefore wondered if "skimmed" mainly meant read the chapter headings.

    Gary Vee did a video post where he talked about "The press release being dead", you are both so correct.

    I think however the "every-man" needs to provide the depth if he is to maintain his credibility, and sometimes it is better to not do the review at all if that depth doesn't exist, rather than just doing it to be the nice guy.

    Hope this doesn't come across to hard. It's not meant to be. In fact I didn't bother commenting on that video post because its a "small" issue.

    You're awesome ... Stay well
  • The question is - who will police the transparency? There have been many instances where it has been proven to be a real issue when someone tries to scam the masses - I just wonder are there others out there that have not yet been found and is the community big enough and caring enough to continue to seek out the pretenders and expose them? I hope so the next step is the real police and that does not work either.
  • Chirs, I am about to do this very thing, i.e. someone send me thing and I am supposed to write something about it. I was thinking to do a disclaimer right in front to warn my reader about this relationship. Do you think this is the right thing to do ?
  • "It’s up to us, but then, isn’t that the beauty of this new world? It’s always up to us. "

    Amen, brother.

    If you were a golfer you would know that the putter is mightier than the driver. The best golfers are always incredible around the green but not necessarily from the tee.

    People send you things because they know you have a large following. They know we trust you. Put the two together for some remarkable results. ;)
  • Chris,

    I'm slowly getting up to speed on this whole web nmarketing, social media paradigm. I'm grateful there are wise folks like yourself who can 'open the kimono' on important steps in the process. In all of this, my goal is to take the 'high-ground', be honorable and honest in all my transactions, and maintain my web reputation.

    I finally have hosting, my own domain and my own WordPRess blog after months of procrastination. Now I just need to define my 'brand', discover my gifts and continue to be a helpful fellow.

    Respectfully,

    Nicholas Chase
    www.nicholasachase.com
    www.twitter.com/nachase
blog comments powered by Disqus

Previous post:

Next post: