I’ve had to stop listening to the Today programme. Admittedly, the BBC probably won’t be too concerned about this. Even if you told them, they’d only issue a statement saying that they’re not biased and that they do their best to present stuff in an even-handed way. But that’s not why I’ve stopped listening…
No, I had to stop listening because of the word ‘so’. Anyone else had to do that? It’s like a virus that’s gone through pseudo-intellectuals and media types, affecting cells in their brains and compelling them to say ‘so’ as a prefix to answering a question or making a statement when there is absolutely no reason for it, linguistic or otherwise.
That’s that then is it?
No it’s not. It really isn’t.
Something else has got me going, now. It’s getting on my nerves.
Disruptors. Disruptive marketing. Disruptive entrepreneurs.
Please give it a rest. Every subject of every article in every trade magazine is waving their big clown hands around and shouting:
“Ooh, look at me, look at me, I’m a disruptor, I do disruptive marketing, I do disruptive things with a disruptor’s world-view, look at me, look at me!!!”
What does it actually mean? Let’s think.
Does it mean someone’s had a good idea and stopped following what everyone else is doing? Wow! Amazing. That’s the first time that’s ever happened, eh?
Does it mean someone walks into the office and pulls down everybody’s wall charts and scrawls across their brainstorming notes in marker pen, shouting:
“I’ve had an idea. I’ve had another idea. Yes, no, yes, no, stop, go. Rub the used tea leaves on your head, sing a song of sixpence, and go yah to the automatons! Flourish in the half-light. Disrupt your way to success!”
If I’m being honest, I haven’t got a clue what it’s all about, but if it’s just some people being independent, creative and imaginative, then I fear for the non-disruptors. Don’t you? What’s going to happen to them when the disruptors take over the world? They’ll all be there, looking at their phones, wondering when someone’s going to hire them to follow tried and tested practices…
Of course when we strip away the terminology, let’s face it, they’re not actually disrupting anything are they? They’re just doing business like everyone else and searching out labels that make them sound cool and edgy and like they’re going against the grain. People have always had great ideas and done clever things. For goodness sake. Oh and sometimes, you don’t have to go against the grain. Sometimes going with the flow is good. There’s a reason things flow after all.
All that said, here at Sound Marketing we’re available for a spot of real disruption anytime you like…