In your face vs Top of mind

When someone asks you for a movie recommendation, what is the first movie that comes to mind? Odds are, you will recommend a movie which you like. You won't say "I've been seeing a lot of promos about this new series, maybe you should check it out."

One way to get noticed is by incessantly being in people's faces. "Look at me, here I am. Don't miss me." This is a hit and miss strategy.

The other is to work to be top-of-mind. Some marketers equate being in your face leads to being top-of-mind.

Let me give you an example outside of marketing.

You know someone for a few years. At a particular juncture, you reach out to them for help in finding a job. They turn their backs on you. Out of nowhere, someone you haven't met or seen in years helps you get back on your feet. When you look back, who will be top-of-mind for you? The person who was in your face (after all you worked together) or the person who actually helped?

Now let's come back to marketing. If a customer has one good experience with your service or product, you'll be top of mind for them. At the same time, one bad experience can lead to your entire marketing budget going up in flames. The next time someone asks for a recommendation, you definitely won't be top of mind.

Being in your face is manipulatable to some extent.

But being top-of-mind, the product/service/person that someone remembers - that's not easy to manipulate.

HT - FYRE, the greatest party that never happened is a fascinating documentary. It traces the journey of a music festival, the planning for which was flawed from the start. The marketing around the event featured influencers and celebrities. It was in your face. The festival itself was a catastrophe. One of the organizers, Billy McFarland, is serving jail time for fraud. Today, the event and organizer might be top of mind for people - but for all the wrong reasons.