The document critiques internet advertising, emphasizing its ineffectiveness and disconnection from genuine audience engagement. It discusses the evolution of publishing and communication, highlighting how social media represents a democratized, effortless form of publishing devoid of traditional authority. The author advocates for brands to embrace community and culture, produce quality content, and truly express their purpose rather than rely on superficial marketing tactics.

1. the publish meme.

2. Three things you need to know:
Advertising on the Internet is (usually) fucking terrible
Most people don't understand what publishing is
These two problems are related

3. why online ads are awful.

4. Online ads are the blind date from hell.
They don't make much money, are ugly, and they don't
perform.

5. Display ads manage to take the interruption of print ads,
but ignore the design, beauty, and interest.

6. Text ads have made Google billions.
The other main function is making it harder to get to the
actual information you want.

7. Social ads manage to be both hyper-targeted and
irrelevant.
This is because brands aren't people, and these platforms
are built for people to interact on.
A pizza place with a Facebook profile, feels like an
elephant on the telephone.

8. Branded content is a beautiful idea.
In execution, it's normally an exercise in product
placement, and lying to clients about what interests
people.

9. The internet is about Control, Alternatives and Input.
When I want it.
In the way I want it.
With space for me to be more specific.

10. The audience is always online, or will be soon.
Your 30 second spot is competing with a smartphone.
And that's if I stay on the couch.
This is going to impact the effectiveness of every
channel.

11. what publishing is.

12. The entire history of humanity (as we know it) is shaped
by communication.
The ability to share, then preserve, then distribute our
thoughts is so essential to what we are that discoveries
like fire or the wheel are comparatively trivial.

13. We are not singular things.
We exist only because we co-exist.

14. That was a ridiculous introduction to any point about
marketing.
It was also necessary.

15. We started out grunting and pointing, and it was a
revelation.
We started talking, and then we became more than
animals.
We drew, then wrote, and everything since then has
been based on the same idea.

16. Human history is a story about how expression
becomes publishing.
Alternately; the entirety of human progress points
to social media.
We're only shocked because we're stupid.

17. When it's hard to publish, we publish sacred things.
When it's effortless to publish, we publish everything.

18. So. Ignore everything else anyone says about social
media.
Social media is the logical conclusion of publishing
without effort.
This means that it's also publishing without necessarily
having: authority, mass audiences, power, influence,
skill, restriction, rules.

19. The fact that all the world's marketers are still
trying to rent attention on these channels should
tell you something.

20. how we do better.

21. As old media collapses, we are watching the greatest
opportunity marketing has ever had.
Publishing is simple. Quality determines authority.
Seize the means of production.

22. A brand is not a person. It's a people.
Stop trying to be a person.
Be a community and a culture.
Document that ever-evolving process.

23. You are more than your product. At least, you should be.
So talk about why. About inspiration. About how it
happens.

24. Authority is won by demonstrating it.
Why are you letting others claim expertise on your culture
and creations?

25. A $25,000 content budget is worth more than a $25,000
prize for YouTube submissions.
If you want it done right, hire the right people, and do it
yourself.

26. People have enough ways to express
themselves creatively.
There's more value in inspiration.

27. Product placement is an admission that you can't
explain your product.

28. If you can't thing of a single interesting thing to say
about your brand online, there might be nothing to say.
That doesn't mean you should pay someone to say
nothing on Twitter three times a day.

29. An objective isn't the same as a purpose. Have both.

30. go forth and publish.

31. the publish meme.
jon crowley
2012
attentionindustry.com
@joncrowley