Interruption vs Permission Marketing

Opposing or Complimentary Approaches to Marketing?

We know that ‘Marketing’ is best defined as ‘communicating your position with your audience’, but how often do we think about the way in which we ‘communicate’? More specifically, do we think that our Brand’s communications are always received with open ears, or are we annoying our audience…and why might that be? Do we have our audience’s permission to communicate with them, or are we actually interrupting them?

Interruption is the Basis of Advertising

Interruption-style marketing has been at the forefront of both modern-day marketing techniques as well as those of yesteryear - think of the billboards dotting the sides of interstate highways, ads interrupting sit-coms and live sports, jingles blasting through car radios in between familiar hits - a forced diet on consumers with no choice but to absorb a message created by Brands. Interrupting people’s lives with communications is one way to do it, we can also reach our audience with their permission. Permission marketing allows our audience to take control of messages from our Brand, rounding out Interruption Marketing’s harsh edges. Effectively, the audience wants to experience our marketing messages and can’t wait to hear from us.

Respect Thy Audience

Our audiences do not want to feel belittled, cheated of their time, or talked-down to by Brands. Bringing them high-quality content that provides utility mitigates these pain points, and can even create life-long customers. Utility varies based on your brand’s positioning. Does your audience find utility in your email Newsletters? Well, maybe. Maybe not. If they’re done right, then yes. If they are the equivalent of ‘jingling keys in front of a toddler’, then be prepared for a lightning-quick ‘unsubscribe’ from your audience. What about a video? Again, it might be useful, it also might not be. Is it an Ad that interrupts my YouTube video I actually want to watch, or is your video the YouTube video I came to see in the first place? That, in a nutshell, is the difference between Interruption vs Permission Marketing.

Complimentary Forces

While it’s clear that Permission-based marketing is the best overall Marketing strategy for most Brands, it would be a mistake to approach the problem-set as if we can only choose one or the other. While interruption style marketing might feel like a nuisance in some spaces, in others it can inspire customers to take action. A well shot TV Ad, for example, may have your audience clutching their sides in laughter and grabbing their phone to learn more about your Brand. Interrupting your audience (the right way) can help a new business get it’s feet off the ground, or an older one break into a new market. After you’ve let your new audience know you exist by interrupting them, it’s probably time to shift to getting their permission to communicate with them. The two work in tandem to create a well-rounded strategy.

Looking to the Future

It doesn’t take a genius to see that the world of Marketing has evolved over the last 100 years, and it’ll continue to do so. There used to be 3 channels and random billboards on the side of the road, now there are thousands (literally) of methods for reaching our audiences - and it’s only getting more and more splintered as time marches forward. There are more and more opportunities to interrupt those we wish to communicate with, but there are also more and more opportunities to bond with them through permission-based marketing. Realistically, it’s a wise idea to audit your Brand’s messaging and assess if you’re leveraging both interruption and permission Marketing properly.