It’s all in the detail
It’s been a fascinating experiment! And we remain unsure what it tells us about society.
The Weekly Advertiser is on the hunt for a new marketing account manager, a position requiring a person with skill, initiative and, importantly, an eye for detail.
Getting the message out to the right people is an age-old challenge for advertising teams. So how do we apply what we know and do on behalf of clients, for ourselves?
We metaphorically poke them in the eye, that’s what we do – on this occasion at least.
In today’s media industry, understanding how well and in-depth average people are now absorbing information, especially through the myriad of media platforms available, is as critical as it is challenging.
In an effort to spark candidate interest in the marketing manager role, The Weekly Advertiser decided, after debating an idea from advertising manager Mark Sulic, to purposely publish an online and hard-copy advertisement that included blatant and prominent spelling errors.
In having some fun while applying strategic principles of advertising and of course with a serious goal in mind, it has presented the advertisement in its situations vacant columns as MRAKETING MANGAER.
As a disclaimer, the advertisement has carried an explanation of the spelling error further down in the ad copy, something that was clear – that is if everyone had read on.
Sure enough! While some were immediately suspicious and picked up the message that one of the job requirements was a ‘keen eye for detail and creative thinking – we’re hoping you picked up the spelling mistakes above’, others were oblivious.
Without reading on, snap observers felt compelled, in a myriad of ways, to quickly point out our ‘error’. Fair enough! Or is it?
Most immediate reactions came courtesy of social media, which in itself provided insight into what makes this media tool tick.
But similar responses also came from the print ad.
Just how closely are we, in today’s world, looking at what we read, or has skimming the surface always been the case?
Has, like many suggest, our collective attention span when reading text seriously diminished? We’re unsure.
Overall, the reaction was a reinforcement of how influential the media is and how it can manipulate a response.
The advertisement had its desired effect in stimulating a landslide of discussion and prompted an immediate response from applicants.
We need, after all, good people working on our product and while nobody is perfect, we pride ourselves on presentation and getting things as right as possible.
Would we use this tactic of purposely presenting an error again in an advertisement or in our news columns for that matter? Who knows!
For some of us for working in an environment that involves unravelling a world of ambiguity, it was uncomfortable.
If nothing else, the community response has been intriguing.