“Like everything else that we are over saturated with, we eventually become immune and start to tune things out, start to become insensitive. All the bands, all the shows, all the flyers are one big flyer in my mind with an array of big shiny booty women on them that never come to the shows I’m at.”
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I leave the happy hour, happier than I was an hour ago. A large 11×17 Mike Nice style flyer covers half of my windshield, a spread of traditional sized flyers decorate my driver’s side window. I swipe all the flyers that don’t slide down into my door to the ground and snatch one up to take a closer look at the shiny big booty girl gracing the cover of the flyer. “XYZ Band at the Boom Boom Room at 5pm on Thursday night.”
I get into the car; check my texts while waiting for my sister to get through the flyer-hander-outers blocking the exit to the happy hour spot. A text comes through “XYZ Band at the Boom Boom Room 5pm Thursday night” and every fine print detail that they put on the flyer just came through in three texts. I start the car. In comes an email and then an e-Vite “XYZ Band at the Boom Boom Room 5pm Thursday night.” I open my Facebook app to check my private bible study page and “XYZ Band at the Boom Boom Room 5pm on Thursday night” is posted seven times between a prayer for Sister Lisa’s son and a prayer for snow on Christmas. I also have an event invitation to “XYZ Band at the Boom Boom Room 5pm Thursday night.” My last 17 tweets are” XYZ Band at the Boom Boom Room 5pm on Thursday night.” It’s starting to rain and I am so grateful that I got these flyers off my car before they got wet!
Am I exaggerating? The real question is what is a promoter? What is the purpose of promoting? Is there such thing as over promotion? Is this what the PR folks refer to as gorilla marketing? Is this why people are #teamnosleep? So they can find different ways to give the same people the same information? Like everything else that we are over saturated with, we eventually become immune and start to tune things out, start to become insensitive.
When I do intentionally read a flyer I just call the number and get the answers to my questions. The last time I did that I was asked “did you read the flyer?” I did but I totally didn’t see the words! All the bands, all the shows, all the flyers are one big flyer in my mind with an array of big shiny booty women on them that never come to the shows I’m at.
Please don’t let my lottery winnings come in the form of a flyer because I will throw it on the ground. Please don’t let a good deal on weave come in the form of a flyer because I will throw it in the trash. I have missed birthday parties that I have wanted to make, trips that I have wanted to take because this form of promotion has made me insensitive. All caps make me cringe. Tweets marked 7 of 20 make me tired. Pushing 11×17 flyers on the ground make me fear the police.
What does keep me coming out? A promoter that keeps promises and doesn’t sell dreams. A promoter that doesn’t continue to do business with a club that puts rail liquor in top shelf bottles and charge you top shelf prices. A promoter that keeps his word and doesn’t blame it on the club or the band. A club that doesn’t run out of food or white liquor five minutes after the door opens. A restaurant that doesn’t charge you admission, then charge you to sit down then charge you to eat, then charge you to use the bathroom just because they have a band playing. A promoter who’s job doesn’t end when that box of 5000 flyers runs out.
– Nena Brown
