On today’s episode of The Engaging Marketeer, I want to talk about a particular product I’ve seen advertised quite a lot on social media—Facebook ads, Instagram ads, and I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it on YouTube as well.
The way it’s advertised is absolute horseshit. Now, the software itself might be good—it’s time-saving software. I don’t know; I’ve not used it. But the way it’s promoted? It’s just completely off.
The software I’m talking about is called Motion. I don’t know if you’ve seen it—it’s time-saving software that uses AI, or artificial intelligence, to organise your workday or working week so you can supposedly get more done. But it advertises itself with this ridiculous slogan: “Billionaires don’t use to-do lists.”
Billionaires don’t use to-do lists? First of all, let’s unpack that one, shall we? Yeah, they do. People who are rich, people who are successful, people who run businesses, people who accomplish a lot absolutely use to-do lists. If you don’t have lists of what you need to do, you’re not going to accomplish anything.
The whole concept behind Motion is that if you want to be like billionaires, if you want to be super successful, don’t use to-do lists—use Motion instead. Bollocks! I guarantee billionaires don’t rely on this software because it didn’t even exist when they became billionaires.
Here’s the problem…
Motion is not being marketed to billionaires, let’s be honest. They’re targeting employees. Their ads say things like, “My boss thinks I’ve hired an assistant, but really, I’m using Motion for 25 cents a day.” Or, “My boss thinks I’m outsourcing my work, but I’m just using Motion.”
Then there’s one advert that really pisses me off. It’s got this bloke running out of the office at 1 p.m., and someone says, “How come John always leaves early? He’s so productive.” And the suggestion is that, because he uses Motion, he’s done with his work by 1 p.m. and can head home. Yeah, like that’s going to happen in real life.
What are they trying to sell here? That your boss will be perfectly fine with you leaving work at 1 p.m. because you’ve magically got all your work done? It’s utter nonsense. Your boss isn’t going to be fine with that, not in any normal workplace. Yet, they want us to believe that this software will turn us into some sort of super-productive worker who can take the afternoon off. It’s a complete fantasy.
Motion tries to be everything at once—first, it’s supposed to make you a billionaire, and then it’s meant to make you the employee who leaves early. It’s a mess.
Absurd user scenarios
The real kicker with Motion is that each ad begins with someone—usually a woman—sitting in some trendy office space, often a balcony overlooking a city, using a laptop or tablet. She starts her day at 6 a.m. by “brain dumping” her tasks for the day, and Motion supposedly organises her day from there. Honestly, what is this about?
If you need to start your day at 6 a.m. by brain dumping what you’re supposed to do, you are not organised. I have task lists that span days, weeks, and months ahead. I don’t wake up and think, “What am I doing today?” If you’re doing that, you’re in chaos.
The ineffectiveness of AI scheduling
The whole concept behind Motion is that you let it organise your day based on what’s important, but if you need AI to tell you what’s important, you’ve got bigger problems. The idea that you can brain dump your tasks and Motion will sort them out for you? It’s ridiculous. You should already have a solid schedule in place.
And this nonsense about billionaires not using to-do lists is just laughable. Of course they do. Their time is scheduled down to the minute. You think they rely on some software to organise their day? Absolutely not.
So, here’s the big issue. If you’re trying to use Motion to impress your boss or get all your tasks done by 1 p.m., you’re in for a rude awakening. This software isn’t going to make you a billionaire, it’s not going to let you leave work early, and it sure as hell isn’t going to replace the need for to-do lists.
I don’t know what the software is like because I haven’t used it. Maybe it’s amazing—who knows? But I’d love to hear from you. Have you used Motion? Or some other AI scheduling software? Does it work for you? Do you wake up at 6 a.m. to brain dump your tasks and let AI take over?
If you’re watching this on YouTube, scroll down and comment. Let me know if this crap works for you. Have I got it completely wrong? Is Motion the best thing since sliced bread? Maybe you’re already a billionaire because of it. If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
That’s it from me. This week, I’m pissed off at a Facebook ad—what else is new? Thanks for tuning in to The Engaging Marketeer. I’ll catch you on the next podcast.
About your host:
Darren has worked within digital marketing since the last century, and was the first in-house web designer for video games retailer GAME in the UK, known as Electronics Boutique in the States. After co-founding his own agency, Engage Web, in 2009, Darren has worked with clients around the world, including Australia, Canada and the USA.
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/engaging-marketeer/id1612454837
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenjamieson/
Engaging Marketeer: https://engagingmarketeer.com
Engage Web: https://www.engageweb.co.uk
