I don’t watch television. Haven’t for around a year now. And that decision is among the best I’ve ever made.

BUT, last night was a complete veg-out evening at our house, so we went to pick up Kathie’s absolute favorite pizza in Austin – Home Slice – and actually turned on the TV. And we were quickly reminded of why we don’t watch it anymore.

Heaven only knows, but we landed on the American Music Awards…which was a total train wreck. I. Mean. Train. Wreck.

One guy tried to incorporate a movie theme into his performance, someone else played a piano that was elevated in the air and then there was whatever the Black Eyed Peas did. One after another, these “artists” tried to outdo one another and be more outrageous than the previous act.

But as we watched terrible performance after terrible performance by artists who can’t carry a tune in a freakin’ bucket (live, at least), there were two shining moments. And these moments were from people who weren’t trying to be something that they weren’t, but just simply were there to sing their song and give people what they wanted.

Pink came out, sang her song and had a bunch of fun doing it. And Kid Rock sat on a stool flanked by a guy playing an acoustic guitar and a back-up singer. Their songs were the focal point. They embraced who they are and gave their fans what they expected.

So it goes for word of mouth marketing and social media. So many companies are trying to one-up one another and outdo the latest social media stunt (think Old Spice guy). To be the first or the most flashy or the newest. And in the midst of it all, they forget who they are. They forget what brought them their loyal customers in the first place. And it leaves everyone scratching their heads.

The lesson here is keep it simple. Stay true to you and who you are. Not the latest trend. Not what the social media kids are yelling that about that day. And especially not what doesn’t feel right.

So don’t ask yourself what the social media kids WOULD do. Ask yourself what your brand SHOULD do. After all, keeping it simple doesn’t mean chasing every shiny object that comes across your field of vision. Keeping it simple means exactly that. Simple. And there’s nothing wrong with simple.