Anyone who is even casually aware of marketing can’t fail to appreciate the impact of the word “FREE.” Even though the world of mass marketing as we understand it is over 100 years old, few marketing tools have maintained their ability to provoke response more than the concept of “free.” It makes no difference that beginning with the Biblical Parables and ending with mom, mankind has been repeatedly urged to distrust the lure of getting something for nothing…to know avail.

Excuse me for a minute. I’ll be right back after I respond to an urgent e-mail from the Nigerian Finance Minister who needs my personal help with a small transfer of funds. I wonder how he got my name? Seriously, I’m constantly amazed at how often the promise of getting something for “nothing” will cause the brain higher centers of reasoning to completely shut down in otherwise savvy folks. Examples of this phenomenon abound, but since this a blog is mostly focused on marketing, advertising and related stuff I’ll confine my observations to instances where “free” seems to beat out “smart.”

For example, newspapers, radio and TV channels, magazines regularly offer to provide “free” creative services to advertisers. In my experience they will even discourage people from hiring ad agencies or creative consultants with the argument that doing so only ads to the cost of advertising. I suppose that would be true if the creative product of the agency or the consultant was no better than that of the media. Or, if the advertising couldn’t tell the difference. Or, if the advertiser doesn’t in fact understand that he or she can a better creative product, but doesn’t want to pay the price.

Think about that for a minute…

You’re going to spend some serious dough on a radio or TV campaign. That is, you will, unless you’ve been hornswoggled by some media rep into believing that spending $750 / month will actually do something for your bottom line…but I digress. You’ve decided to invest in a media effort, but you’re unwilling to spend any more money on creating a message that will stand out from the other messages that are literally bumping against yours on the page, radio or TV screen.

Instead, you’re willing to let the underpaid, overworked “production” staff of media you’re going to spend your hard-earned money on…create your ad for “free.” No matter that these folks are paid by the hour, have a ton of other “free” ads to do before the end of the day, and have no incentive whatsoever to make any one of these ads the slightest bit better than any of the others.

If that’s true, then you must subscribe to the axiom that it makes no difference what you say as long as you say it a lot. You also must delight in being unable to distinguish your message from that of your competitors, or for that matter, any other advertiser who’s availed themselves of the media’s “free” service.

“Nonsense!” I hear from the owner an auto body shop that has run a jingle ad campaign along the lines of, “We take the dents from your acci-dents at Otto’s Body Shop” about a thousand times on local radio stations. He swears that as a result everybody knows his name and comes in the door humming the jingle. No only that, he wrote the jingle himself and the radio station had some jingle guy in Nashville record it for $200 back in 1998.

Gosh, what can I say to a successful formula like that? Imagine: all you have to do is make up any old phrase with your business name it, and have some musicians and singers record it – making sure of course that the last word ends up on high note. Anyone can do it. In fact, everyone should do it. And judging from a random sample of radio, TV and magazine messages a lot of people are.

Frustrating? Not really. In fact, this is wonderful news for everyone who understands that: “You get what you pay for,” “There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” and my personal favorite, “A fool and his money are soon parted.” That’s because the prevalence of mediocre, cookie-cutter marketing messages makes it so much easier to cut through the clutter for anyone willing to say something about their company that’s original, interesting and touches the heart, soul and experience of their desired customer in a relevant manner.

Of course, unless you write such messages for a living, you might have to hire someone who does.

Several days ago I was speaking to a group about marketing, and someone in the audience asked about the advisability of adding some “hip” language to their marketing message so as to appeal to a younger generation.

The first thing that flashed through my mind were images from my own youth in ’60′s when the “establishment” tried to woo Baby Boomers (long before the post-war population spike was called that) with clunky attempts to speak to them in our own language…”like, groovy, man…” Sharp-eyed readers will note that I wrote “them” instead of “us” because, having been born before 1946, technically I’m a “war baby.” But I digress.

To my ear, nothing is less hip than someone trying to be hip. To put it simply, don’t try to mimic “kid speak.” Besides, it’s unnecessary. Kids have always been “multi-lingual” in that they shift easily between talking to peers and foreigners like their parents, teachers and the police. Actually, the cops I know do the best job of any adult at speaking kid lingo, but they are full-time sociologists.

If you have to reach an audience that you’re not intimately familiar with, which is to say, if you have to speak in another language, to people who aren’t your cultural, ethnic, and economic counterparts, hire someone who is a member of that group to translate for you. In that event you’ll do a really good job of communicating your message in their language.

This is an absolutely fool-proof technique for creating effective…public service announcements, training manuals, and safety warning labels.

However, if you want to communicate the value of your brand, which is to say, your product, your service or your ideas, there is a better way to bridge whatever gap you perceive between yourself and your audience whether it be chronology, culture or race.

And what is that all-purpose bridge you ask? The bridge that spans almost any gap is pure, unadulterated, authentic, heart-felt passion. Another word is…love.

They say that “everyone loves a lover” and that’s just as true for business ventures as it is for romance. If you’re truly passionate about what you do…I mean you LOVE it…and that love is reflected in the quality of your goods or services, your brand will appeal to people of all ages, races and creeds.

Small caveat: Jimmy Dean Pure Pork Sausages, no matter how well made, are unlikely to earn a Kosher seal. Sorry Jim. And there are obvious parallels in other avenues of endeavor, but those quibbles aside, old and young, black and white, rich and poor find common ground in shared passions.

I was reminded of the power of true passion by an article in the Wall Street Journal on Levon Helm who – for those of you who may not know – was a founding member of the Band, the seminal music group that in the early 1970’s tied American roots music to Rock & Roll. Levon, who is 68, still connects with much younger musicians who distain some of his more famous contemporaries thanks to his authentic passion for his music.

There is no more youth-oriented culture than car racing, yet the name Carol Shelby (Gee, I hope I don’t have to tell you that he created the iconic Cobra cars in the early ‘60’s) is still revered by speed-hungry kids of all ages even though he’s 85.

One last tip: It’s a mistake to try to try to infuse your brand with passion or authenticity by hiring a spokes-shill, or to profess it where it doesn’t exist. People can spot phony quicker than you can say “Countrytime Pure Old Fashioned Lemonade.”

Recently I was asked what sort of client I preferred. Honestly, it seemed like a strange question to me. I tend to take clients as they come. Generally I focus on the project and not the client’s personality. Big mistake. It’s not that I have so much work that I can always pick and choose my projects, let alone my client personalities. My point is that the quality of your result is almost always a product of the attitude of the client.I have an advertising background. When I was an Art Director and later a Creative Director the talk was of this or that agency and how good (creative, original, edgy, etc.) their work was. Rarely did we ever compliment the client who had paid for the ads. In the creative department, clients were mostly seen as the necessary evil.

Ah, the foolishness of youth. Not too mention the self-adulation of so many creative types.As I’ve rolled up mileage on my personal bio-odometer, I’ve come to realize that the credit for the creative product– be it great or be it garbage – is due to the client more than to the writer/art director/designer. Good clients get good creative, which brings us back to what makes a good client.In my opinion, a good client displays the same qualities that make up a good businessman or – for that matter – a good person. And those qualities would be: discernment, trust and a genuine sense of humor.