Ifyou'reaCubsfanlikemyselfthanyou(hopefully)acceptedthefactthatalltheTommyJohnsurgeriesintheworld(notareferencetohowmanyhecouldhave,butactuallydidhave)wouldnotbringKerryWood'sarmbacktowhatweallhopeditwouldbe.Idon'tevensaywhatitwa***ecauseitwasn'thealthylongenoughforustoseewhatitwas.Wecollectivelyhadthi***eliefuntilabout2005thatjustonemoretripintotheoperatingroomwouldbringbackthepitcherwesawin1998strikingout20Astros.Butnowwe'velargelygiventhatup.It'sjusteasierand,frankly,morerealistic.
ButthecorporateadvertisingworldstillseemstobestuckintheIt'llallworkoutphasefamiliartoCubsfans,survivorshuddledinthebasementafternuclearwarsandpeoplewhothinkJ.J.AbramshasaplanforLost.Advertisersstillseeasituationwhereinacompanyorretailerfacesthechallengeofgainingmarketshareorstemmingsalesdeclinesandthinkthatcelebritiesaretheanswer.Macy'spickedDonaldTrumpandMarthaStewart,meaningtheycancashinboththeirplaceandshowticketsTheApprenticewindow.BenMcConnelldissectsthiseffortnicely.HPhastappedrockerGwenStefaniforanewcampaign,sinceshehadthatbighitColorCartridge#22andsoisknownasaprintingindustryguru.Anddon'tgetmestartedonTheGap,whichlaunchescelebrity-drivencampaignswiththesameregularitySisyphuspushestheboulderofthehill,andwithaboutthesameeffect.
Wouldn'titbebetterforcompaniestospendafractionofwhattheyareonliningupcelebrities-celebritiesthatwillendorsetheircompe***satthedropofalargercheck-onseeinghowtheycanbuilduptheirexistingcustomersandempowerthemtospreadtheirownword-of-mouth?Theycouldcreateonlinecommunitieswherepeopletalkaboutthebrand,sharetheirownstoriesandmeetotherlike-mindedpeople.AndallthiscouldprobablydoneforafractionofwhatTrumpaskedtoutteracouplelinesandposeforahandfulofpictures.
Peoplewanttoconnectwitheachother-it'sanaturalhumaninstinct.Themythofthecelebrityha***eenalmostshatteredbytabloids-bothprintandonline-andthathastakenmuchoftheirendorsementcredibilitywithit.