Yep, it's not original at all.  Many of us ask ourselves that question every day as our dollars fly freely from the safe confines of our respective bank accounts.  Many of us are also VERY quick to pull the trigger  when something appears to not  be working.

Before you drop any marketing effort, scrutinize your own effort in making that marketing work.  Your marketing and advertising should be a reflection of you, yet many of us treat it as a "plug and play" solution.  There is no such thing.

Today's consumers are tired of being "sold" and "pitched."   The process of natural selection has allowed the consumer species (consumeris monetarius) to develop various natural defense mechanisms against the seller species (sellis monetarius).

There's a great article (kinda lengthy, but a worthwhile read) from iMedia Connection's Managing Editor Jodi Harris that details 6 main areas to sharpen up on when marketing yourself and your brand: 

Humor

Entertained, not pitched

Nostalgia

Innovation

Involvement

Personalization 

I couldn't agree with her more.  Check out the article by clicking here.  You'll be glad you did.  

Happy marketing:)