Clubhouse: What Their Marketing is Showing Us
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Have you joined Clubhouse yet?
If so, you bought into what some are calling brilliant marketing. And based on our traditional idea of marketing they have a good case.
The hype alone of joining this new platform that promises better community and connection compared to Instagram and Facebook is like no other.
Not to mention the drop-in audio chat capabilities and not having to 'beat' the algorithm.
Sounds brilliant, right?
The lucky ones who've been added thus far, are eager at the opportunity for a head start before the app opens to the masses.
But for the rest of the people waiting for an invite the FOMO (aka fear of missing out) is real.
And for the passive observers (like myself) I get excited to watch new products (or services) launch.
Why?
Because there is so much that we can learn from them. Especially what their marketing is showing us.
So this post might come across as odd considering I'm a marketing and communications expert.
But it doesn't mean I have to agree with everything my industry represents. And sales messaging is one area where I'd love to see things change.
I believe it will as the market becomes more sophisticated. Understanding and awareness of our own habits and patterns are where it starts.
So the real question I'm posing to you is, is Clubhouse's marketing really that brilliant?
OR...
Is it playing into the typical deficit advertising that gets us to consume (or buy) more stuff?
Even if we don't really need it.
If you want to join Clubhouse, great. This blog post isn't about dissing the app or condemning the people for their marketing tactics.
In fact, it's the exact opposite. My hope is to shed some light on how marketing (or advertising) works.
So that you can make aligned decisions for yourself and avoid buying into advertisements that subconsciously make us feel inadequate if we don't have this product or service.
In this case, it's Clubhouse. And I hope if you've joined (or have a burning desire to join) it's for reasons that are intentional and aligned for you.
FOMO to me does not represent alignment. In fact, it creates a subconscious belief that you're missing something if you don't join, which breeds misalignment.
It's creating the need to sign up for another platform with the hopes of getting more of what you currently think you lack...
Things like...
- Clients
- Sales
- Connection
- Engagement
- Recognition
- Popularity
- Visibility
The list goes on…
I mean... if we thought we couldn't manage our existing social media accounts, let's add another to the mix.
Maybe this one will be the golden ticket!
This is a lack (or scarcity) mindset. You aren't missing out on anything. In reality, if you feel you're lacking all of the above I'd get curious as to why this is the case.
I believe it's decades of messages that portray we are not enough. That what we are doing is not enough. Messages saying you NEED some product or service to BE ENOUGH or BE SUCCESSFUL.
This has wreaked havoc on our minds. Consumer debt is at an all-time high. And we just keep investing in more shit to fill the void.
#thanksdeficitadvertising
When in reality you don't need another platform to build a successful business.
Clubhouse isn't the missing piece to the puzzle.
It's not the long-awaited answers to your prayers aka money in the bank and freedom.
What's missing is merely the belief that there is a code to crack and that someone (or thing) outside of ourselves has the answers.
But it runs much deeper than Clubhouse’s marketing. What it shows us is how fragmented we’ve become. According to Jeff Brown, “when we are in a weakened state of fragmentation, it’s easy to be subjugated.”
Meaning we seek wholeness (or completeness) from outside systems such as products or services being marketed to us. And “we end up relying on someone else's truth, someone else’s idea of where to spend our money (or time), someone else’s version of purpose and success, and someone else’s idea of our inherent worth,” says Jeff Brown.
I know Clubhouse is FREE for users, but don't be fooled. Businesses don't run for FREE. They'll have some profit-making strategy whether it's ads, or selling the platform to a bigger one like FB or IG.
So before you run off and jump on the Clubhouse bandwagon, I’d love for you to pause and ask yourself these three questions:
- Do I really need this right now to achieve what I want?
- What am I hoping this product or service will do for me?
- Is this product or service supporting me or filling a void?
Also, I’d love for you to follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
