As a marketing consultant I see it all... Company's that use strong arming sales tactics, false advertisement, the old "hook line and sinker" or "bait and switch". All are ineffective and cause a really bad reputation in the pubic eye that most companies never recover from. These are some of the worst things anyone can do to promote their business or their products. Although these things can be among the worst marketing practices, there is one that really sets me off... But before I reveal what that is, let me tell you about intellectual property.
As defined, Intellectual Property is "a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which property rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law.[1] Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works; discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols, and designs. Common types of intellectual property include copyrights, trademarks, patents, industrial design rights and trade secrets in some jurisdictions."
Advertising and marketing agencies, like my own, thrive on intellectual property. They create and design whole campaigns, come up with catch phrases and logos that are still paraphrased today when referencing the companies they were created for. Conceptualize images for their clients in such ways that are recognizable for years to come. This is why WE get paid the big bucks! What our clients don't realize is the amount of time that it takes to come up with those ideas. In small detail, it can take days, weeks, even months, and a team of experienced designers and marketeers to come up with a phrase like, "American Express. You can't leave home without it." or character names like "Snap, Crackle & Pop" for the Rice Krispies brand of cereal. We create memorable, and recognizable elements for businesses that withstand time!
So here is what my biggest "pet Peeve" is... Thievery of Intellectual Property. There. I've said it. The blatant disregard for our profession and everything that comes with it annoys the heck out of me. And the worst ones are the people that are doing it in a way that makes you think they are going to do business with you and end up just taking 5 hours out of your day to steal your ideas. I'm not saying that a 5 hour Productive meeting isn't a good thing. Thats wonderful especially when you are courting a client and trying to learn more about them and their business. What gets me, is that there are people out there that take up hours at a time of your day, listen to your ides and then pelt you with, "I have no budget" and then 2 months down the line they have used all of your ideas on projects that they have executed themselves. Although, most of the time the execution looks mediocre and unprofessional, it was still work that took hours of thinking and man power that will never be recovered for that agency.
I've learned from that mistake. It only took me one time to be swindled by that pirating tactic. But unfortunately, some of my colleagues continue to make the same mistake. I know that this insert looks more along the lines for people in my industry. The truth is, that everyone can learn from this. Whether you are the business person looking to advance in their industry, or the service company that will help him get there. Having good moral ground and ethical business behavior is where it all begins.
