Most of you might know Dave Irwin as Dave Gets Social on TikTok, Twitter, and other platforms. He’s a branding strategist who hails from Ontario, Canada and he knows a thing or two about marketing.
Dave Irwin has no qualms about what his superpower is. He is not afraid to speak his mind and tell someone the facts in a no-nonsense way.
“I don’t mind expressing an unpopular opinion and then living in the silence that unpopular opinion causes.”
By questioning everything, Irwin is able to dissect marketing and advertising in a way that is both refreshing and easy to understand.
One of his pet peeves is when brands try to be personable, especially with something that has already been done well by another brand.
“We see a lot of brands trying to emulate that style because they think that’s what the buying audience wants. You want a buying intent there. You want it to be able to have an interaction that leaves a positive impression in your audience’s mind.”
It’s the same with influencer marketing. Unless the influencer aligns with the brand, it feels awkward, or the audience remembers the influencer and not the brand.
Social media marketing can be similar to earned media, especially when something resonates enough to attract a new customer.
“The only reason that marketing should exist,” adds Irwin, “is that it takes the place of a salesperson.”
But while advertising in social platforms can be targeted to specific neighborhoods and characteristics, the algorithms may be flawed enough to skew the results. Yet, it may still be the best option for advertising.
While there is no one-size-fits-all and no guarantee your ads or marketing strategy will work, it is a lot easier on the pocketbook to experiment in social media than anywhere else.