Let's see... we're cooking our famous marketing stew with a thick base of the conventional Phoenix advertising media, e.g. electronic, print, outdoor and direct mail, that are pumping-out ads at a record pace.

Then we toss in bottomless residue from the boundless gristmill of Arizona public relations mechanisms that are consistently generating an endless stream of press releases and invitations to grand openings and countless new product releases ... then we add a pinch (can you say torrent?) of those ubiquitous e-mail promotions, stir and bring to a boil.

Now, our Phoenix public relations director folds-in a social media tsunami of blended Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Plaxo, Flickr etc. and - voila! - our recipe is ready to (burp!) serve.

Footnote: It's definitely a recipe for sensory overload, the likes of which, not only have we never seen, we have never even imagined. There are so many message transmissions out there that only the most expertly crafted, appropriately delivered will find their mark and make a lasting impression.

What does this mean for marketers?

It means a whole series of things, but topping the list is the seemingly incompatible duo of opportunity and obstacle.

Basketball fans have long remembered and revered the "Big O," Oscar Robinson. And marketing aficionados understand and, yes, revere the big O of opportunity, but where, exactly, does obstacle fit into this scene? It fits where you would expect it to - right in your path to communication of your marketing message.

Let's talk opportunity

This all presents an opportunity within our Arizona marketing plans to craft the expert's staple - sharply focused marketing messages that go beyond the innocuous stuff that dominates the lion's share of communications to which we are subjected (with which we are assaulted). Of course this is easier said than done, but a pursuit, not only worth tackling, but absolutely imperative if we want anyone to follow our lead.

A good, though oversimplified, rule of thumb would be to look at what's out there, and head in the absolutely opposite direction. Clue: meaningful content is the best vehicle for the drive to success.

Let's talk obstacles

These are powerful and plentiful, and will never, ever go away. They are characterized by the multifarious "marketing" messages which are hardly worthy of that term, and that inundate the media, the flames of which are now fanned by social media.

The bad news is: marketing, advertising and public relations communication has come down upon us to a degree way beyond what we might ever have imagined. The good news is exactly the same. Quantity and quality have never been well acquainted, let alone being fellow travelers, mates, friends or buddies. They merely live uncomfortably in the same world.

The cream of communication will still rise to the top, leaving in its wake a glut of unappealing appeals in a quantity to defy the imagination as they go over the heads and below the feet of the consumer toward whom they were misdirected. The sickness of communication clutter is everywhere.

The Antidote: Write it clear. Write it true. Write it relevantly. Write it on the "right walls."