Drivel or Data?

Once upon a time, it cost money to publish copy. Brochures were expensive, and forget about a 10-page white paper. But the Internet in all its glory has given companies the freedom to publish unlimited information for their customers and prospects without a linear increase in cost. So, the question is, have we lost our reverence for marketing communication?

When it cost money to market, we poured over every word fearful of a costly re-print. Today, unfettered from costs, marketers can push "publish" with the comfort of knowing, if it's ineffective, inaccurate, or just plain bad copy, they can always edit it later. As a result, I read online collateral every day with typos and other errors, but even more disconcerting is the lack of compelling language and attention to the true goal of marketing - persuasion.

Web2.0 is characterized as 'perpetual beta.' - and I confess that I enjoy having iterative 'online brochures' that evolve as we tweak over time - but I for one would like to cast my vote that marketing is still an art, and any good artists dumpster is more full than his gallery.