Yesterday I mentioned that a picture is worth a thousand words. Check out this link for an example of this. Video game developer Naughty Dog (known for creating the amazing Uncharted games, the Jak & Daxter series, and the Crash Bandicoot series) is apparently quietly sponosring kennels for animal shelters in California.

They didn’t make a big deal about it. They didn’t alert the media and say “hey look at what we just did! Aren’t we a great company.” No, they just went out and did it. And guess what? I read about it online, just like you are now. In a world where everyone has a camera, it was bound to be publicized in some way. Even if it wasn’t, who cares? At least they still helped some homeless dogs out.

The moral of the story is not to do good things and then sing your own praises; instead, do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do, then let your community spread the good word for you. Then sit back and reap the rewards.

I’m sure it’s happened to you too. I’m sitting there talking to someone, passionately discussing something that’s important to me, and then I notice something disturbing; the person I’m talking to couldn’t care less, and judging by the look they give me, they haven’t heard a word I’ve just said. It’s a devastating feeling to know that no one is listening to you, especially when you feel so strongly about something. It’s one of the main reasons why I started this blog. Here I can discuss the things I care about, and at least a few people out there are listening (by the way thanks to all you guys that have started following me on Tumblr and/or Twitter, or you guys that have me bookmarked or whatever). Godin addresses this need to be heard with trend #2: “amplification of the voice of the consumer and independent authorities.”

Back in the day, companies needed to cater only to a small group of critics. If they got a good review in the newspaper, or magazine, or got featured on some television show, then they were guaranteed millions. Today though, everyone’s a critic. It’s nothing new really, people have always been this way. The difference is that they now have a way to instantly spread the word to millions. The internet, and blogs in particular, have given a voice to anyone and everyone that has something to say. And you know what? People are listening. Every interaction your company has with anyone can quickly be shared with the world.

This may seem like a bad thing, but in reality it’s actually a huge opportunity. As a marketer, it’s your job to make the most of every interaction with the customer or client. Shut up and listen to what the people that you market to are saying. They want to be heard, and if you care at all about your brand, you will listen to what they have to say. If you are unjustly criticized you can always address the situation directly. Set up a discussion board for your clients to talk, and interact with them. It’s not that complicated really.

Trend #3, “Need for an authentic story as the number of sources increases”, discussion coming soon.

Notable quotes from this section:

• “It’s not us and them. Now it’s us and us.”
• “A post on a blog anywhere in the world could very well rank higher in a google search than information on that same topic on your company’s website.”
• “The easiest way to understand blogs (text, audio, or video) is to understand that they (finally) connect three real desires: to hear our own voices, to be heard by others, and to hear what the crowd thinks.”
• “Big numbers matter when you run mass ads that are ignored. Small numbers are just fine when you deliver powerful messages with permission.”

As I said before, we live in a time where people are more media savvy than ever before, and no one is fooled by your phony prepared marketing statements. It seems that every day we hear yet another lame prepared PR statement from some knucklehead or another. I know these people are merely trying to do some damage control / avoid a lawsuit, but I personally can’t stand having my intelligence insulted. What ever happened to a heartfelt statement. Why does everything have to be prepared by an attorney first?

Here’s my list of favorites in no particular order, I hope you find them as entertaining as I have…

• Chris Brown - Wow a genuine apology… written by a PR exec
• Michael Vick - Close, but who really talks like this?
• Tiger Woods - As the guys at Marvel Comics say ‘nuff said
• Don Imus - He didn’t even look up from his paper!
• Kobe Bryant - His lawyer even speaks for him. I love the way he pulls his wife’s chair out for her. What a gentleman; not an act at all.
• Mark Sanford - I tried to stay away from politics, but found this one pretty funny.
• Mark McGwire - “I’m not here to talk about the past.” I’ve got to remember that one.
• Alex Rodriguez - though you could really pick anything that A-Rod has ever said.

Who talks like this in their daily lives? Most if not all of these are apologies of some sort, and the hallmark of a good apology is that it is authentic and heartfelt. How can your statement be authentic if it is coming from your attorney? Remember, the word of the day is “authenticity.” To be fair, it’s kind of unfair to single out any one celebrity since just about every single thing that anyone says in the media is written by some PR person or lawyer.

I know alot of marketers will disagree with me on this (especially in these most litigious times where everyone sues anyone for anything), but I think more companies should shoot from the hip and be more honest, open and authentic. Many people are tired of the politically correct phrases that advertisers, marketers, and celebrities use, which is why many of us go online to see what real people are saying (in this day in age though, sometimes it’s hard to determine who is a real person and who is a plant. Yes companies even try to fake authenticity in this way, but more on that later). Prepared statements are the old way of doing things. If you’re going to send a message my way, please leave your lawyer at the office.

What are your favorite prepared statements? Go ahead and link them in the comments, I’m always up for a good laugh. Also, what statements do you feel are actually good? I’d like to see those as well.