Leftovers
The Science of Faking It
PUNK does not mean high energy. HighNRG was a German dance craze that coincided brilliantly with early videography; today people are freaking exhausted.
We talked to a branding firm recently who said they wanted to be seen as wholly energetic—rather than specifically knowledgeable. In a memo we swiped from their files, they helped us devise a whole chapter on why branding firms are history. Here it is:
Clueless Company’s1 success was based on the following items…
- extreme curiosity – about modern day culture, brands, and the marketplace
- a cool interest in marketing, creativity, psychology, and anthropology
- self sufficiency, with regard to our own fact-finding, report preparation, etc.
- only working with clients who need no education—are familiar with our type of business
- experience in and love of market research
- great presentation skills to clients
- and of course, that [funny-sounding] high energy
The above was their way of creating sensational nonsense for high-paying clients. As their alleged friends we informed them that, while it’s fascinating, there are no metrics. Blank stares everywhere. They, it appeared, wanted to make payroll. But, we countered: If clients needed to be told what they wanted to hear then why bother getting out of bed?
They’re still in business at this writing.
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1Would you be surprised if we told you that’s not their name?