nThis week’s blog prompt concerns the difference between bragging and marketing. In essence, they’re not the same: marketing concerns persuading people to take action (e.g., buy my book). Bragging consists of proclaiming how wonderful something or someone is. When one brags about one’s own prowess or accomplishment, it often backfires. When one brags about someone else’s accomplishment or prowess, it falls under praise. Carried to excess, both become tiresome.
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nMarketing requires some measure of bragging. No one is going to be persuaded to do something by telling him that doing so won’t benefit them in some way. For instance, I certainly couldn’t sell a book by telling potential readers that the book sucks. “Do you enjoy banal dialogue, hackneyed plots, and lots of grammatical errors? If so, then buy this book!”
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nNope, not gonna happen.
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nOn the other hand, if someone whose opinion you trust says, “This book really captured my interest and kept me on the edge of my seat. It was great!” then you’ll probably consider buying a copy.
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nMarketing uses positive persuasion toward a desired outcome. The tactics marketers can be deceptive and invasive, but that’s another issue entirely. And as for braggadocio? It’s not conceit if it’s true.
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