Brace yourself. We’re in for a lot of ugly attempts at Webvertising intended to be so compelling that you just have to forward it to 10 friends. Or maybe 20.

From Jib Jab and Subservient Chicken to crash this trailer and strip poker with Victoria’s Secret models and Bob’s cube and so many others, it seems like everyone’s trying to capture lightning in a bottle.

But here’s the problem: As we see more and more of this stuff, the bar that establishes what’s compelling continues to be raised. Yesterday’s cool thing that you just had to send to 10 friends is tomorrow’s “big deal, I’ve seen that before, and done better — what else you got?”

Takeaway for marketers: Manage your own expectations: A flashy lightning show creates momentary oohs and ahhs, but real value will have a more lasting impact.

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 16th, 2005 at 1:27 am and is filed under Marketing Stuff, Marketing Takeaways.