Lex DeVille
Sweeping Shadows From Dreams
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Disclaimer: What you are about to read describes an approach to marketing that involves manipulation, misdirection, and argumentation. It is not the only approach to marketing, but it is an approach that is being used a lot today so it is worth becoming aware of at the very least.
For a long time, I've been aggressive with arguments. Most of the time I do not argue out of spite or anger, but because I know that every coin has two sides. Each side represents a polarization of beliefs and perspectives. If everyone held the same beliefs and perspectives, then any perspective would not require "advocacy."
Advocacy is interesting because the purpose would seem to be to persuade others from one perspective to another. But something I've noticed about online advocates is that their messaging usually isn't designed for persuasion. Usually, it is more of a rant with personal attacks against an invisible "they" while quietly shouting, "WE must take a stand!" In other words, the argument is engineered to be liked by those who already agree.
The "we" is the purpose of this post. Not the "we" that the advocates are describing, but the "we" or "they" whom the advocates would stand against. The people on the other side of the coin (and the spectators standing off to the side) who do not yet have a voice in the fight. Those are the people division marketing is targeted at.
Here is an example from my own YouTube channel..
You're looking for the spike around May 3, 2019. The biggest spike my channel ever saw by far. On that day, someone on Upwork was bashing my approach to freelancing and the thread had grown large enough that someone else told me about it. So I went to Upwork's forum and capitalized on the opportunity. I joined the one-sided argument to defend myself. But more importantly, I joined the argument because freelancers were my target audience, and I knew a lot of them would disagree with my opponent if I argued against their points with reason.
So I joined the argument, and let the others attack me personally. Meanwhile, I focused on deconstructing their points and invalidating their statements because it would allow viewers to say, "hey, this guy isn't the monster they've made him out to be, he's quite reasonable."
But I didn't intend to persuade all viewers, and I didn't care that much about defending myself either. The goal was to find the right opportunity to mention my YouTube channel, and when I found that opportunity, all I had to do was say something like, if you don't believe me, just search my name out on YouTube and you will see. It's kind of a Kansas City Shuffle (like the song).
The attackers obviously weren't going to my channel and I didn't care if they did anyway. But other people would because they found my arguments reasonable or because they already agreed with my perspective. I didn't even have to link to the channel or say the name. It was subtle, a hidden call-to-action that worked really well.
Advocates may not realize this, but when advocacy is engineered for likes by people who already agree, then it isn't advocacy, it's marketing. So if you are willing to spend the time to craft a better argument in favor of another perspective, then you can use the division as the entry point for a sales funnel fueled by polarization.
Subtlety is key.
Method Summarized
That last point is important because you may be tempted to shut down or withdraw from an argument as soon as you start to be personally attacked. Personal attacks reveal how weak the other position is and can make you think, this is stupid, I'm out. But if you ignore the personal attacks and stay focused on invalidating the other side's points with reason, then viewers will spend more time reading your posts and being moved to agree, or at least, being moved to learn more about you.
Once those viewers make their way back to the place you want them to go, then you have them. You've moved them away from the argument. Only one perspective is presented in this new location. For instance, on my YouTube channel, I only share things from my perspective, and my videos funnel people to places where they can buy things from me.
The approach targets a division, so I call this division marketing.
Just keep in mind you have to present solid arguments (usually). Personal attacks work if you only care about drawing attention from those who already agree with you, but it is more useful to win the third-party too.
Anyway, the next time you encounter a perspective you strongly disagree with, consider who else is watching. Maybe that argument isn't worth your time, but maybe it is if you fancy yourself a puppet master pulling strings.
For a long time, I've been aggressive with arguments. Most of the time I do not argue out of spite or anger, but because I know that every coin has two sides. Each side represents a polarization of beliefs and perspectives. If everyone held the same beliefs and perspectives, then any perspective would not require "advocacy."
Advocacy is interesting because the purpose would seem to be to persuade others from one perspective to another. But something I've noticed about online advocates is that their messaging usually isn't designed for persuasion. Usually, it is more of a rant with personal attacks against an invisible "they" while quietly shouting, "WE must take a stand!" In other words, the argument is engineered to be liked by those who already agree.
The "we" is the purpose of this post. Not the "we" that the advocates are describing, but the "we" or "they" whom the advocates would stand against. The people on the other side of the coin (and the spectators standing off to the side) who do not yet have a voice in the fight. Those are the people division marketing is targeted at.
Here is an example from my own YouTube channel..
You're looking for the spike around May 3, 2019. The biggest spike my channel ever saw by far. On that day, someone on Upwork was bashing my approach to freelancing and the thread had grown large enough that someone else told me about it. So I went to Upwork's forum and capitalized on the opportunity. I joined the one-sided argument to defend myself. But more importantly, I joined the argument because freelancers were my target audience, and I knew a lot of them would disagree with my opponent if I argued against their points with reason.
So I joined the argument, and let the others attack me personally. Meanwhile, I focused on deconstructing their points and invalidating their statements because it would allow viewers to say, "hey, this guy isn't the monster they've made him out to be, he's quite reasonable."
But I didn't intend to persuade all viewers, and I didn't care that much about defending myself either. The goal was to find the right opportunity to mention my YouTube channel, and when I found that opportunity, all I had to do was say something like, if you don't believe me, just search my name out on YouTube and you will see. It's kind of a Kansas City Shuffle (like the song).
The attackers obviously weren't going to my channel and I didn't care if they did anyway. But other people would because they found my arguments reasonable or because they already agreed with my perspective. I didn't even have to link to the channel or say the name. It was subtle, a hidden call-to-action that worked really well.
Advocates may not realize this, but when advocacy is engineered for likes by people who already agree, then it isn't advocacy, it's marketing. So if you are willing to spend the time to craft a better argument in favor of another perspective, then you can use the division as the entry point for a sales funnel fueled by polarization.
Subtlety is key.
Method Summarized
- An argument is presented by someone.
- Each position will draw attention from those who already agree.
- A third-party can be won over by the most reasonable position.
- So argue intelligently while subtly directing viewers where you want them to go.
- And remember, the longer an argument continues, the more people will see.
That last point is important because you may be tempted to shut down or withdraw from an argument as soon as you start to be personally attacked. Personal attacks reveal how weak the other position is and can make you think, this is stupid, I'm out. But if you ignore the personal attacks and stay focused on invalidating the other side's points with reason, then viewers will spend more time reading your posts and being moved to agree, or at least, being moved to learn more about you.
Once those viewers make their way back to the place you want them to go, then you have them. You've moved them away from the argument. Only one perspective is presented in this new location. For instance, on my YouTube channel, I only share things from my perspective, and my videos funnel people to places where they can buy things from me.
The approach targets a division, so I call this division marketing.
Just keep in mind you have to present solid arguments (usually). Personal attacks work if you only care about drawing attention from those who already agree with you, but it is more useful to win the third-party too.
Anyway, the next time you encounter a perspective you strongly disagree with, consider who else is watching. Maybe that argument isn't worth your time, but maybe it is if you fancy yourself a puppet master pulling strings.
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