Lisa C. said…

Assuming we’re still talking about marketing, I would love to think people can tell shit from shinola. I believe many people can, those who spend time observing and reflecting on the world around them, but I think it’s optimistic to think *most* people can. I don’t think such a large chunk of popular media could be so vapid if they did. We as a society consume vast amounts of shit with our wallets out and a smile on our face.

As a writer, assuming my books are ever published, I doubt they will ever appeal to the sort of people who cannot tell the difference between shit and shinola Yours neither, using …Or Not? as the benchmark. Your ideal reader is that person who observes and reflects, whether your book lands in those hands via grassroots, viral (which does sound kinda gross), or some more “traditional” corporate method. At this point in the paragraph, I feel like I’ve totally lost my grasp on where I was going… so that thought will have to stay incomplete for the moment.

The grassroots v. viral marketing question reminds me of this book that came out recently, Unmarketable, by Anne Elizabeth Moore, which I have not read though I did read this review in the Chicago Reader. Basic idea is that punk culture, which is theoretically so DIY, so anti-machine, *still* falls prey to corporate pandering — and, in the case of Jones Soda, the target audience *couldn’t* tell shit from shinola. So I wonder if it really is that easy.