Marketing Craplets

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Childhood ear infections resulted in a loss of hearing in my wife’s left ear. To compensate for lower volume she learned how to read lips as she was growing up. Of course, you didn’t need to be able to read lips to know there was some derogatory language being spoken on the field during last night’s Super Bowl game. The players and coaches body language, and snarled lips said it all; yes, the competition was fierce and emotions high.

Competition in the business world is also fierce. Marketers often dream of having “100% share of voice” when it comes to outbound initiatives (a media vendor used that term on me … funny, if you combined a 100% share of voice with a voice of the customer strategy what would that conversation sound like?).

At any rate, if you’ve purchased a PC you’ve experienced this turn-up the volume – get in your face tactic in the form of craplets. A craplet is a derogatory term used to refer to unwanted software and advertisements that are often preinstalled on personal computers by large vendors. A recent article in PC World stated that “some of the software can be useful, but much of it deserves the derogatory terms many people employ: junkware, shovelware, logoware, and plain old crap.” The article went on to state that “junkware isn’t new, but it has become so pervasive that many buyers of new PCs have started to complain.” Vendors defend the practice of loading “trialware,” stating that it keeps costs down, and implying that systems might cost significantly more to the end user if craplets were not preinstalled.

As a consumer, I’d prefer to raise my hand and let you know if I want to try it; even if that means paying more for the hardware. The very notion of needing a decrapifier for a new PC just makes me want to postpone my next purchase. But that’s just me.

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Alan See
Alan See is Principal and Chief Marketing Officer of CMO Temps, LLC. He is the American Marketing Association Marketer of the Year for Content Marketing and recognized as one of the "Top 50 Most Influential CMO's on Social Media" by Forbes. Alan is an active blogger and frequent presenter on topics that help organizations develop marketing strategies and sales initiatives to power profitable growth. Alan holds BBA and MBA degrees from Abilene Christian University.

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