It always surprises me how many marketing people jump on trends and become ?instant evangelists? for the new thing ? whether it?s blogging, podcasting, or SEO copywriting ? mainly, it seems, because it IS new.

They so badly want to believe that their beloved gimmick is the ?holy grail? or marketing ? the silver bullet ? despite the fact that such has never been found ? and, I am convinced, never will be.

I?m of a different school ? the ?show me? school. And in marketing, that means showing me that a new tool or trendy technique has a proven track record of generating a positive ROI.

Until that happens for a new marketing technique ? whether it?s blogging or whatever ? I can?t see getting excited about it. Why would you?

It does seem to me that the people who are quick to embrace the ?next big thing? ? even though it?s far from certain to be so ? are mainly the consultants who want to peddle advice on that marketing method to unwary clients.

So the consultants make money whether it works or not. But the clients lose big time when it produces zilch in results.

Right?

On September 22, 2005, Oprah Winfrey announced that her TV book club?s next pick would be ?A Million Little Pieces? by James Frey.

According to an article in BusinessWeek (10/10/05, p. 46), the book sold 85,000 copies within 4 days of Oprah?s announcement ? making it an instant best-seller. Bookstores ordered an additional 650,000 copies with the ?Oprah?s Book Club? seal on the cover.

A new study from the University of Texas, reported in NewScientist (9/17/05, p. 13), indicates that emotion may actually play a role in helping people remember factual information.

In the study, 57 volunteers were shown a disturbing film about a surgical procedure, then asked questions about their emotional state and their memory of events in the film.

Researchers found that subjects who made the most effort to keep their emotions in check had the worst recall for what they had seen.

By logical extension, sales copy that stimulates an emotional response should also translate into better recall of product facts and sales arguments.

In that way, emotion helps logic sell.

In his new book ?Libey and Pickering on RFM and Beyond? (MeritDirect Press), Don Libey states: ?I believe price has become the dominant factor in business-to-business and consumer purchasing today.?

He attributes this to four causes:

1. The Wal-Martization of America.
2. The economic slow-down of 1999-2005.
3. The Internet.
4. Online price comparison technologies.

?All things being equal, customers will buy on price,? concludes Libey.

My problem is with the statement ?all things being equal.?

Of course if everything else is the same, and only the price is different, then price is the key factor.

But even in an age where products are increasingly commodities, all things are rarely if ever equal.

For instance, a Nissan Maxima is a Nissan Maxima, regardless of whom you buy it from.

But I might buy my Nissan Maxima from Dealer A instead of Dealer B because they are a mile closer to my home ? or they offer free loaners when my car is in the shop ? or the salesperson was friendly and didn?t pressure me ? or they had the color I wanted in stock ? or a friend raved about their service department ? even though their price was not the lowest.

After all, if you went to three cardiac surgeons for quotes on the triple bypass you need, and the three quoted, respectively, $10,000, $11,000, and $850 ? would you really buy the $850 operation?

Often a low price is a warning sign to the consumer that there?s something wrong with your product ? and as Don knows, in split tests, higher prices often beat lower ones for the same product.

What do you think? Are customers primarily price driven today? Or are other factors more important in making purchase decisions?

In his new book ?Irresistible Offers,? Mark Joyner writes:

?One could present a compelling case that marketing is destroying this planet. The average American goes deep into debt buying silly (and sometimes downright harmful) things that he simply does not need. This process has not just pushed the average consumer into debt; it has lowered his values as well.

?When you are bombarded with messages day after day that present a world where selfishness, shallowness, and greed are the ultimate ideals, it?s hard not to start believing that world is your own as well.?

Do you agree? Is marketing sleazy?

And if marketing is indeed sleazy, which marketers are the sleaziest? Direct marketers? Internet marketers? Cigarette companies? Car dealers? Attorneys?

I just wrote a book on using content as a marketing tool ? specifically, how to market your products and services by giving away white papers and other free information offers. The book will be published next month.

Which title do you think is best ? and why?

A. The White Paper Marketing Handbook
B. The Edu-Marketing Revolution

Here?s the situation:

You are the marketing manager of a company selling enterprise software for computer security to IT professionals.

Your marketing plan already includes a Web site, e-mail marketing campaign, and trade show exhibits.

In this hypothetical situation, there are two additional marketing tools you can use to promote your product, but you can only choose ONE.

The choice is either publish a series of white papers — or start a blog.

Which would you opt for? Why?

It sounds like a good idea: survey customers to find out what they want, and then let their answers shape your product development and marketing.

But in reality, it?s often a bust.

A case in point: according to an article in BusinessWeek (8/1/05, p. 38), in 2002 the Gap began an intensive program of focus groups, surveys, and other market research.

But in the fiscal quarter ending 4/30/05, sales fell 4% ? and analysts expect them to drop another 2% for the quarter ending on 7/30/05.

The reason: eight former employees and two analysts say the Gap ?has shifted too far toward research and away from the instinct and emotion favored by many successful clothing merchandisers.?

My question is: how much time and money do YOU spend on customer surveys and other market research? And how strongly do the answers influence your product development and marketing?