Strategy
Eyeballs? Numbers? Or just people?
One of the things that drives me crazy about my fellow marketers is a habit that has turned into part of their daily glossary: referring to viewers or audiences as “eyeballs”. For example, when something gets mass visibility, it is said to have attracted “lots of eyeballs.”
Now I know that this is meant as a funny way to put an image to a number. A way to make something as abstract as a statistic into a concrete image.
But… could we just refer to them as “people”?
There comes a point in which marketers speak in such removed terms, that they risk losing sight of very crucial matters: principles of attraction, emotional triggers, two-way communication opportunities, etc..
After all, eyeballs don’t think, feel, or wish to communicate.
If your message is attractive to others, don’t be a bean-counter. You didn’t earn anything by attracting people, aside from an opportunity to serve and give value.

Alex Rodríguez develops high-end digital marketing campaigns that transform brands and attract business. He is the author of Digital BACON. His clientele has run the gamut from top-level advertising agencies and Fortune500 corporations, through national broadcast networks, to award-winning production firms. He heads up the team at YMMY Marketing. Connect with Alex via LinkedIn or Twitter