This is a guest post from Drew McLellan, CEO and Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group. See the original post this is adapted from and more like it on his blog.
While in Disney World I found a great marketing reminder for us all. Right in front of Gaston’s Tavern in Fantasyland, there’s a huge statue of… no shocker, Gaston. (For those of you unfamiliar with Beauty and the Beast — shame on you!).
In front of the statue is this plaque that reads:
Tribute to Gaston
An extravagantly generous gift to the humble people of my village.
From Me, Gaston
Of course Gaston is the buffoon in the movie, but all too often brands and companies get their Gaston on, too.
They behave as though it’s all about them. They talk about themselves incessantly (go on, look at your website — who do you talk about?), and they behave as though they are a gift to the people they’re supposed to serve.
We laugh at the behavior when Gaston does it in the movie. We shake our head when we talk about how “other” companies market this way — but when was the last time you did an honest gut check of your own marketing materials?
If you aren’t talking about what really matters to your potential customers and customers, odds are you’re talking about yourself.
So a little message from Gaston and me — get over yourself and start focusing on sharing what you know/do in a way that actually helps and serves your clientele.
About Drew McLellan
Wall Street Journal calls Drew McLellan’s blog, DrewsMarketingMinute.com, "one of the ten blogs every entrepreneur should read." His passion is helping clients discover their story so they can create authentic love affairs with their customers. He's also an author, national speaker, and has owned his own marketing agency in the Midwest since 1995.
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