Don't Be Subtle
How brands should adjust their tone during the holidays to be be bold and clear...
The first instance of SPAM was in 1978 on ARPANET, an early version of the internet. Someone spammed everyone with an ad for a Digital Equipment Corporation.
They didn’t use the word “SPAM” thought at the time. That word didn’t come into play until 1993.
From Internet Society:
First use of the term spam was for a post from USENET by Richard Depew to news.admin.policy, which was the result of a bug in a software program that caused 200 messages to go out to the news group.
The term “spam” itself was thought to have come from the spam skit by Monty Python's Flying Circus. In the sketch, a restaurant serves all its food with lots of spam, and the waitress repeats the word several times in describing how much spam is in the items.
When she does this, a group of Vikings in the corner start a song: "Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, lovely spam! Wonderful spam!" Until told to shut up.
Thus the meaning of the term: something that keeps repeating and repeating to great annoyance.
Props to whoever used a Monty Python reference to label these annoying emails.
However, I suspect there is another reason SPAM was “top-of-mind” for whoever said used that reference.
It the same reason my brain says SPAMBURGER HAMBURGER every time I see a can of SPAM…
It was because of this classic commercial from 1992… still living rent free in my head 30 years later.
Go ahead. Watch…
Don’t Be Subtle.
I didn’t talk about SPAM with Kurt Elster on the podcast. Instead we talked about the holidays and homepages. And he was very clear in the point he wanted to make:
This is not the time to be subtle.
Business owners and operators hate the idea of being too salesy. It feels tactless. We imagine a seen with some guy with a brown tie, yellow shirt, and tweed jacket selling used cares. Pushy is bad. Aggressive is bad.
While we can understand the feeling… you are not being push for making your website display things a big more prominently and upping the number of emails you send.
And if you are still worried… just think to yourself…
Do I remember any website or brand emails that were too pushy or annoying?
Probably not.
Don’t Be Subtle.
So Kurt is right, and he has a lot of experience to back it up. I believe him.
But after our conversation, I wondered. If I were managing an ecommerce website this year, would I follow his advice or would I err on the more subtle side of things.
Like, did I believed him here 🧠 and not here ❤️?
Don’t Be Subtle.
Honestly, I fear that I would be too subtle. Not bold enough, and definitely would worry about sending too many emails.
So I tried to think about who usually wins in the Battle of the Subtle vs the Loud.
And probably because I was thinking about SPAMBURGERs and the 90’s, I quietly mumbled to myself…. penis.
Wait, what?!
Do you remember the Penis Game? I have no idea if it is still a thing. I type it into Google just now to check… but decided against it. No idea what’s on the other side of that door.
Anyway, the 90’s were a much simpler time. Less screen time and more time “hanging out” at malls and random places. As a sort of mischievous dare, we played the Penis Game.
In case you missed out on the fun, the rules were simple:
I say “penis” quietly out loud. Then you had to say it, but slightly louder. This goes back and forth until someone gives up. Whoever said it the loudest, wins.
Simple. If you hold back, you lose. The loudest wins.
This is also the basis of our political discourse in America today.
Don’t Be Subtle.
Now, back to the conversation with Kurt. He pulled up Walmart’s homepage from Black Friday 2021 (using Wayback Machine)
Here is a screenshot. They hammer it home here that it is Black Friday andDeals For Days..
They know that customers are ready to buy on this day. They are going to buy stuff. And if there is a chance that you were looking for something they have, they want you to know the sale price.
Because if you leave… they lost you.
Don’t Be Subtle.
So back email spam…
In 1992, a copywriter at SPAM wrote a commercial, hammering that catchy message into our brains again and again.
In 1993, someone had chants of spam on the brain (from this commercial and from Monty Python) and labeled a message sent on accident to 200 people as “spam.”
And then all Spam broke loose…
For 10 solid years, we were hammered with spam emails. Exactly 10 years later in March of 2003, spam emails outnumbered legit emails.
Eventually this was reined in. Google and Outlook and the rest created better filtering and Spam tabs.
But we were already damaged goods.
Our early experience online was riddled with spam and scams, so now that we are older and own businesses, we err on the side of subtly, because we don’t like the over the top salesy style of messaging.
One might even say that all the spam left us a little bit salty.
Don’t Be Subtle.
While writing this piece, I thought maybe it was a little vulgar.
SPAM, the Penis Game, politics, and Walmart… all in one sitting… jeez, a little much.
But then again. I have a point that I want to make… and if I don’t get it across, then what would be the point?
Be Bold.
It is the time of the year to be bold. So make it fun. Make it festive. Invite your customers to take part in your promotion and sales. Turn up the volume a bit on your website messaging and email frequency.
Just remember…