Plenty has been said about the morality or otherwise of the Brand and Ross phone messages saga, but what I have found most interesting as a marketer is how the "off-target" market has effectively determined the outcome.
It has been well recorded that the broadcast itself resulted in only 2 complaints. The media feeding frenzy, the Mail campaign and the BBC's own ability to indulge in self-flagellation resulted in a further 30,000 complaints after the event.
If this was ever a case of the non-buyers dictating to the buyers what they should have, then this is it. I doubt there are many Mail on Sunday readers who regularly download the incredibly popular Russell Brand podcast (or listen to his show live for that matter), but they have effectively censored the BBC's output for those who did.
If the BBC had been a bit more web-savvy they could have surveyed all those who downloaded the podcast before the furore broke, and elicited their opinion. I suspect the customers for Russell Brand would not have been quite so up in arms.
It reminds me of a time when working for a major UK electricals retailer (you'll need to visit my site www.johnwallace.org.uk to find out which one) I had spent a considerable amount of time, money and research effort on developing a new brand for the business. When it went to a certain very senior board member for approval I was told my various proposals had been rejected on account of the fact that his wife did not like the colours. Perhaps I was unaware of the fact that his wife was a regular PC buyer and user of PC support services and therefore in my target market... and then again perhaps she was not.
Marketers should be champions of their customers desires and not the prejudices or predilections of those outside the target market.
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