Ever since Don Draper and the rest of the Mad Men crew came smoking and drinking onto our TV screens everyone working in media must have, even for a fleeting second, aspired to have a similar daily life.
Mad Men tells the story of the advertising men of Madison Avenue in 1960s New York. It is a world of sexism, racism, hard drinking and smoking: they are the powerful media heroes of the era – everything they touch turns to gold. The star of the show is Don Draper, an intense, creative genius.
In fact, we think Don Draper would have made a great content marketer in today’s workplace (though the heavy drinking, chain smoking inside the office and general misogyny may not have made him the most popular guy in the office).
For anyone who hasn’t seen Mad Men (or has) this spoof re-cap sums it up nicely in 60 seconds:
Thanks to some help from existing blog posts about Mad Men by the likes of Extra TV and The Huffington Post, we’ve pulled together some great Don Draper quotes that are as relevant to content marketing as they are to the world of 1960s advertising.
Of course, if we’ve missed any off this list, let us know and share them with the rest of us below.
9 Comments Don Draper Could Have Made About Content Marketing and SEO
1).
“If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation.” - Season 3, Love Among the Ruins.
Spoken like a true content marketing and PR professional. Twitter would have been no match for Draper.
2).
“I keep going to a lot of places and ending up somewhere I’ve already been.” - Season three, Out of Town.
Don is obviously using an inferior search engine and needs to set up some personalisation tools to get the most out of his online experience. I think the point he is trying to make is, just like when it comes to content marketing, you need to discover new ways to get your message across – so you can entertain and enthuse your readers. (A good example is using a fictional 1960s advertising TV character to illustrate your point about content marketing – who would do such a thing?)
3).
“You want some respect? Go out there and get it for yourself.” -Season 4, The Beautiful Girls.
A mission statement for a content marketing campaign if ever we read one, cheers Don, nice one.
4).
“We’re gonna sit at our desks typing while the walls fall down around us. Because we’re the least important, most important thing there is.” -Season four, Blowing Smoke.
An epitaph for all those content marketers out there, slogging away creating great online content for brands and publishers. Draper feels our pain.
5).
“You are the product. You feeling something. That’s what sells. Not them. Not sex.” -Season two, For Those Who Think Young.
In today’s switched on online world a good content marketer can certainly do something that other marketers cannot.
6).
“People tell you who they are, but we ignore it because we want them to be who we want them to be.” -Season four, The Summer Man.
This quote is equally true for brands as it is for people and celebrities. With social media now so powerful in influencing how we think about people and brands today, social media is an opportunity to embrace your customers and ‘be who they want you to be.’
7).
“Advertising is based on one thing: Happiness.” - Season 1, Episode 1: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
And lots of cash, Don, lots of cash. Don’t forget that.
8).
“Maybe I’m not as comfortable being as powerless as you are.” Season one, New Amsterdam.
If ever there was a quote to stir brands into making a foray into social media and content marketing, Draper gave it here – but he was speaking 50 years or so ago!
9).
“Don: It’s your job. I give you money. You give me ideas.
Peggy: But you never thank me.
Don: That’s what the money is for!”
- Season 4, The Suitcase.
The client/agency relationship when it comes to content marketing and online content summed up nicely in one brief exchange.
Any classic Don Draper quotes we’ve missed that are relevant to content marketing? Share your quotes from Mad Men or other famous TV shows and movies that work to describe content marketing - we’ll collate the best into a new post.
