Today marks the 50th anniversary of The Flintstones! Just about everyone who grew up with this animated series has a special place in their hearts for it. The show originally ran from September 30, 1960 to April 1, 1966 on ABC.
Arguably it was based on the long running TV series, “The Honeymooners”, but it established its own spot as a milestone in animation. The show did an amazing job of combining some adult humour and a kid’s cartoon show and perhaps that’s why so many of us love it. I could sit down today with my daughter and still enjoy the show for it’s grown up satire as much as she would for the visual comedy.
Here are five things I think email and social marketers can learn from this classic TV show:
Fred had a very short temper and often reacted without thinking
Don’t expect subscribers to think twice if your email campaigns are not relevant and engaging. They’ll hit the spam button faster than Fred can scream WILMA! Unlike Fred, you won’t get a chance to beg forgiveness.
Remember the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes!
Make your subscribers part of a very special club by providing exclusive offers – make them feel like the Grand Pubas they are!
The sometimes rocky friendship of Fred and Barney
Consider yourself Barney and don’t take it personally if you read something negative about your brand on Twitter or anywhere else for that matter. Engage the individual, respect the vent zone (in Barney’s case that meant ducking), empathize and then offer a clear path to a resolution. Hey Fred! Let’s go get a bronto burger!
You are NOT the Great Gazoo! (thank goodness for that)
I’m assuming you aren’t a green alien with magical powers. That being the case, you can’t solve every problem which might crop up via a social network with a snap of your fingers.
However, you should take ownership of the issue directly, find the right path for the person to find a resolution and follow up directly to make sure they got the service they deserve.
The Great Gazoo was often rather careless with his solutions and had the unfortunate habit of referring to Fred as “Dumb Dumb”. Your subscribers are NOT dumb. They know sincerity when they experience it and if they think you don’t mean what you say they will disappear faster than any little green magic alien ever could.
YABBA DABBA DOO!
Every email newsletter you produce should invoke this response from you. If you aren’t over the top thrilled, how do you think your subscribers feel about it?
Takeaway: We aren’t in the stone age anymore. You can’t just smack people over the head with a club and drag them to your brand. Quality relationships leading to conversions take more time and personal effort.
What about you? What lessons have you learned from the Flintstones?
Related post:
10 things Sesame Street can teach us about email marketing
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