Posthumous Sentiment Market (PSM)

Some say love makes the world go round. And we marketers think, we are equally responsible.
Some say love is eternal. And we marketers make sure love doesn't die even after the object of love does.

Welcome to the world where dead earn more than the hail and hearty, the world where dead earn more while they are in the grave. Need me to elaborate more? Sure!

1. Michael Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009). I love him and always will. And so do millions of people around the world. From a small village in India to gold stacked houses of Saudi Arabia, from the jungles of Africa to the developed countries around the world. So when the whole of the planet feels the void, why not encash their 'feelings' and keep the name alive? Keep him in the news and ride on the sentiments?
   
   $260 Million - estimated amount MJ has earned posthumously, so far. From unreleased video clips, to a movie (This Is It!), to a new dance game (by Ubisoft Entertainment), to unreleased recordings (with Sony Music) - MJ will never die. Or at least we marketers will never let him die.
   
   
2. Elvis Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977). My generation hasn't seen him. But I don't feel he wasn't in my generation. I still hear his songs. I still see his videos. Even new associations (Elvis vs JXL - A Little Less Conversation ft. Elvis Presley). He refuses to die.
   
   $1.5 Billion - Yes, Billion. Presley’s Graceland mansion is the second most-visited home in the US after the White House - and yes his wife and daughter earn from it. Merchandising deals, Apple products, Lipton tea, books, article - all earned posthumously.
   
   
3. Freddie Mercury, Bob Marley, John Lennon - all great musicians
   
   
4. Even Princess Diana!

But is my saying that marketers are the real reason why all these legends live posthumously, wrong? Do you think if Businessmen didn't sell the work of these artists (in form of songs, CDs, books, paintings, literature, etc) - these artists would live on the way they do now? Not at all. We see an opportunity, and we seize it and we sell. You buy we sell. And its because the consumers WANT to remember these artists that we marketers see the potential and provide what they WANT and DESIRE for.

But its funny how the albums and songs keep coming years after these legends depart. As if someone planned their departure and activities after that. As if the Businessmen see this as a big market, which I call the - Posthumous Sentiment Market (PSM). Like all the media houses have an obituary prepared for all the who's-who of the world (so that they publish it as soon as they die), similarly the marketers have a plan ready for the PSM.

Elvis died 33 years ago (in 1977) and his merchandise still sells like hot cakes. And it will sell for generations to come. Its a good thing I say, I won't have to put in too much effort educating my grandchildren who the legendary Elvis or King of Pop Michael Jackson were. Or maybe I will have to put in loads of efforts - after all, I'll be one of the marketers.

A marketer inside me?

Statement 1: How many times have you ended up cajoling people to do what they, probably, did not intend to?
Statement 2: The 'people' here are your family and friends.

My question is simple. Am i 'marketing' here?

Marketing, despite being a phenomena of more of educating someone towards a mutual benefit, has become a comparatively dirty terminology. I use the term 'Dirty' deliberately. Lets face it. People are getting smart, and their smartness allows them to use their oratory skills very effectively. While these skills are used for professional transactions, they are said to have created a good deal. But as soon as someone starts to stamp such skills with everything but your professional transactions of life, that`s where it starts to get dirty.

Putting your point of view in front of friends - becomes marketing.
Telling them reasons to believe it - becomes marketing.
Even having the last word in a fight with a friend - becomes marketing. Damn it!

Living a role of a Marketer in professional life and carrying your personal self away from the taboo meaning of it, can be a difficult reality. You want people to take you seriously, after all!

So where should the line be drawn? Or more importantly perhaps, can a line be drawn ?

I personally think its more to do with the perception; perception of them, perception of us, everyone.
Cognition is a very interesting science. Cognition towards something may be partial, may be not. And these perceptions are often based on such partial - not so partial cognitions.

The above three lines are a perfect example of why, the marketers are perceived to be marketing among family and friends too. The clarity of thought, or your message, lacks. More so, because while talking to such people, you are always at ease- Which brings us to the next, even more scary, question, -

Should a marketer (by profession) be very straight forward to their loved ones? Do your people like it like that at least? Do they like to hear whats always true? Run on the chariot of your imagination, and you`d know what i`m talking about.

I do not intend to find answers to any of these questions. They are not even questions. They are just the prominent ironies of life, which i have just started to realize more intently now. I know there are zillions of such people who have the same questions hidden in their chest. Some of them try to show it, some of them don`t. 

So where should we draw the line? Or again, Is there any line?

Need more positivism

So just the other we were pulled in to an advertising competition.. Who were the judges you ask? Online facebook users. How do they judge? Simple. Vote. But vote not necessarily the best, but the one you have been asked to. The one that represents your school, your region or simply the one that you were told to vote for. Fair enough you may say. I agree. But it did not end there. Further, go on to other ads and vote them down by anti-voting for them.

Sad. Not because we did not win. But because all what people wanted to do was anti-vote the competitor's advertisements rather than vote theirs. And this mentality of anti-voting is becoming prevalent in our society. This anti-voting is nothing but negativism. It is a cancer eating up the society at every level and this is what makes me sad.

Lets take some examples.

1. Constitutional elections. A candidate focuses MORE on what the other candidates did not do or could not do rather than focus on what he/she HAS done or CAN do in the future. Pull the other candidate down rather than pull yourself up.

2. Classroom. If you can not do good or match the students above you, blow their failures out of proportion or highlight the failures rather than pushing yourself to reach where they are. Pull them down if you can't pull self up.

3. Work. If you are not the best one around, prove to your boss that the best one is not really 'the one'. Complain, cry foul, find faults but not improve self. Pull the one above you so that you may step on them and move ahead.

4. Products/Advertisements. What better example than the famous Mac-PC ads. Focus on what bad the PC does and celebrate its failure. Pepsi-Coke have been-there-done-that and realized poking at each other all the time does not help.

5. Media. Blame a politician for neglecting one particular family but not appreciate the efforts he/she made for the entire region. Shout foul when a home sports team loses but not credit them with the fabulous victories they just achieved weeks ago. Focus on the negative.

Of course there is hope too. Not every one follows this. But there are many who do but do not even realize they are following the principle of negativism. We as a society ought to focus on positive aspects more. We need to collectively say NO to negative views.

Criticizing is an art says who criticizes. Critiquing is not everyone's cup of tea says who proud themselves with it. I can only smile and sympathize with them, for they do not know what they lack in themselves. And you may say I am here writing this post focusing on a negative aspect of life, but then again, the intent is positive and nothing but positive.