The Starving Ocean

So, today Amy at AdBase called with a review of my marketing efforts.

She had looked at all my email blasts from the past 2 years and she began to carefully explain the metrics to me.

I start to drift off.  Somehow it reminded me of “The Starving Ocean,”an article I read some time ago.  The thesis was that all the creatures in the sea were in a state of perpetual starvation and were therefore 100% focused on where that next meal was coming from.  And the corollary was that the meal I get is the meal you won’t get.

Hmmm…Darwinian marketing?  Or like, “I will drink your milkshake.”  — Is that what that guy in that movie was talking about? – I was never sure.  But, I never used to have to market.  Everybody was busy.  The phone rang.  I did the jobs I wanted.  Recession?  What’s that?

But times have changed and I’m changing, too.  Or at least trying to.

In today’s world of branding, SEO, and click throughs, we do want the job to come to us and not someone else.   We are the swimming sharks that never sleep.  And we want that nice Sushi lunch.

“So Amy, what’s the bad news?”

But, she tells me, I’m doing great.  My promos get consistently high page views – the last one got 20% – which is the top end of what anybody gets, and my click throughs are respectable.

“But Amy, the phone’s not ringing, email’s full of spam.”

“Do you do follow up phone calls?”

“Yes!”  (but I know I should do more).

“Well, you are somewhat inconsistent.  You went 2 months without a promo.”

Yeah, that’s me.  Give me a deadline and I’m all over it.  But, I really don’t want to be 100% focused on that next meal.  I want to make stuff.  I want do that next Maya tutorial.  I want to polish the tank on my ’68 BSA Lightning.  I want to go hiking with Olivia.  I want to go on that dinosaur dig with the Natural History Museum.  The list goes on.

I can hear Amy wagging her finger over the phone, “But, Bill, you want that sushi lunch don’t you?”

I feel myself surrendering to the inevitable.  Yes, the world has changed.  Yes, I still want to be part of it.  Yes, I still dig the rush when that challenging assignment arrives.

I can do that!  I can put myself on a schedule!  Right brain – play nice with left brain!

“Amy, what else can I do?”

“Well…” she said, “You could start a blog.”