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28 DIGS.NET | 4.30.2021 Social Gratification Where does your business or personal brand stand in today's online popularity contest? Have you bought into the metrically challenged social "status sphere" and find yourself hopelessly manipulated by pursuing meaningless popularity objectives, such as "likes, retweets, impressions, and views?" What's the goal here? What's the end game? How does it translate into value? Who then is the benefactor? Today, everyone is a marketer, and we all create media. And marketer's love to feel exalted, feasting on data and analytics to fuel their dopamine induced binge on self- serving felicities. Yes, I'm pilling on some fancy mumbo jumbo lingo to agitate the silliness of it all. Silly it is. But it's actually much more serious in real life. Beyond the "in-group / out-group" perils of popularity, (which warrants another serious discussion,) the endless pursuit of social gratification has managed to do something unthinkable… …it has destroyed authenticity… …the foundational pillar of trust… …the most important factor in creating value. How bad is it? The media environment is now a sea of gloated personas – woefully trying to win the attention of really anyone who will give it to them. It's made real people… …unreal. Imagine that. It's acting in mass, for a global stage. You get to play any character you want, but yourself. Why choose to be that authentic, vulnerable, real self when you can instantly portray an alternative and "better" version of yourself? The result is that we now live in an online world of social actors, much like many of the marketing "experts" out there being paid to pump popularity. These marketing buzzards pedal bad advice in their attempt to get you addicted to the metric-dopamine-reward cycle. It's bad advice. And most every marketer gives it. P U B L I S H E R ' S M U S E Warren J Dow Publisher wdow@Southbaydigs.com 310.373.0142 Sadly, as a marketer myself, I'm having to teach people how to discover their authenticity – which is truly tragic to say the least. My 2 cents… …before you chase popularity… …and find solace in the mainstream… …give yourself permission to be "you" and lean into it 100%. You don't need to be popular to win friends and influence people. To inject some purpose, reverse engineer the entire process, start outward versus inward. Focus instead on understanding your ideal customers… …their problems, constraints, limitations, obstacles, fears, hopes and desires. Ask questions. Then ask more questions. Then Ask better questions. Before too long, you'll be feeling good about yourself for all of the right reasons and leading a purpose driven marketing life. (MIS)leading Indicators. When you chase algorithmic attention, social popularity and mainstream acceptance you are essential choosing to compromise yourself… …and compromise is the seed of conformity. Conformity will put you on the fast track to being a commodity. What's going on here? Think hard about consequences here – your single biggest, most important differentiating factor you have will end up being masked, hidden, or muted. When you fail to go "all-in" on you, you compromise. Don't do it! "In any compromise between food and poison, it is only death that can win. In any compromise between good and evil, it is only evil that can profit." • Ayn Rand In the end, the pursuit of popularity will only serve to marginalize your "reason why," and hurt your soul. Do you really want this? Look at the world around you – the artists, musicians, and business icons – the ones who became legends never set out to be popular. They were convicted to a personal mission of going all-in on their "uniqueness and craft" – embracing the unfamiliar, and not trying to please everyone. They discovered that it is equally important to repel those who don't align with your mission as it is to attract the ones that do. Give yourself permission to be the beautifully different and original person that you are. The originals have changed the world and continue to make it a better place. And it doesn't cost a thing, but its value is truly priceless. To your greatness ~ PS: Stay enlightened, informed, and unruly - subscribe to the Marketing Muse newsletter for free at > MarketingMuse.substack.com/ The Perilous Pursuit of Popular