For Those Who Think Marketing is Gross

I have recently noticed comments on various platforms decrying marketing as misleading at best. Or slimy and dishonest. Or sleazy. Or a pack of lies. Here’s an example.

I think the answer to the question of whether marketing is a good thing or a bad thing is - yes.

Over time I have come to view marketing as innately neutral and value free, like wind, fire or water. Water can either cure your thirst or drown you. Fire can either keep you warm or burn down your house. Wind can either fly your kite or destroy your town in a hurricane.

And marketing can be done in a way to promote the common good, or be subverted for short-term profit. It all depends on intention.

If the main intention is to sell products or services with no concern for buyers after the sale closes, that’s the marketing equivalent of burning down your house. You would obviously feel warmed in the moment, but you’ve lost your house (your credibility) and possibly any future ability to sell anything to anyone else.

If the main intention is to help people by telling them how your products or services will make their lives better,  then a sale becomes the equivalent of sitting by a fireplace in the depths of winter, or a life ring thrown to a person trying to stay afloat in deep water.

Marketing done badly, i.e. with no consideration for the best outcome for the customer, is a con.
Done correctly, marketing is a SERVICE.

As consumers, we can hold all sales pitches to this standard. As marketers, we must explain our products and services so that our customers have no doubt that they will benefit from our offerings.

One way or the other, we can use marketing to make a difference.
The choice is up to us.