Don't be a puppybabymonkey

So, if you watched the Super Bowl (and probably even if you didn't) chances are you saw this:

Yeah, I'm sorry.

The Super Bowl is a great opportunity to study marketing and this is an example of just how badly marketing can go when it's done wrong. And to think, someone was paid big bucks to come up with this and then an entire group of people in charge of brand marketing approved it. Scary.

Here's the deal.

For a lot of authors, our biggest obstacle can be discoverability. People can't read our book if they don't know it exists.

And that's when authors can get desperate. They think that any exposure is a good thing, even if it results in negative reactions. But this really isn't the case anymore. Bad exposure can just be bad for business.

When it comes to this commercial, yes, everyone is talking about it. An internet search for Puppy Baby Monkey yields more results than I ever wanted to see. But without watching the commercial again, I wouldn't be able to tell you what the name of the drink is that disturbing hybrid is trying to sell. And i certainly have no desire to go buy it.

If everyone is talking about you or your book because of negative behavior or a disturbing or offensive marketing strategy, don't be surprised if it doesn't result in book sales. Go out there and get your name out, but make sure you aren't confusing, scaring, or offending the people you're trying to reach.