Since the dawn of marketing communications (and approximately 16 seconds before that term was shortened into the insufferable mash-up “marcomm”), advertising agencies and clients alike have fallen into the same trap over and over and over again. No, not the starburst trap. No, not the underline-important-words trap. No, not the show-the-customer-smiling-while-holding-eating-caressing-the-product-inappropriately trap. No, not the…well, let’s just say the traps into which those of us in the business can fall are legion. But today, the trap of which I write is the trap of equating a tool with a strategy. The tool-as-strategy trap is an easy one to fall prey to. It usually involves a shiny new form of media (Newspapers! Radio! Television! Internet! Telekinesis!) and a proclamation that all previous forms of media are forthwith null and void posthaste, etc. etc. Gurus arise (often of the self-anointed variety), agencies and clients are fleeced and large segments of the populace don’t notice a thing has changed. The current tool du Read More