Marketing gets a bad rep and it's not okay!

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I was recently having a conversation with someone who is a really skilled doctor and has been in the industry for quite some time.

He doesn't have any online presence for his practice because he is one of those people who is very cynical about persuasion and influence. Consequently, he considers marketing an unethical practice. He had his own reasons and rightly so.


Our conversation ranged from the importance of online presence to competency versus marketing. This didn't make much sense to me because I see them as the same thing.


But then I thought about it. It's a fact that there are still so many SMEs and local businesses out there who have these negative perceptions of marketing that it's not ethical, not effective, an unnecessary expense and so much more.


And there are reasons for that. Not just one, but I believe there are many factors that come into play here.


Now, some people are cynical, and that's their personality. No matter how much we try, we can't have everyone on the same page, and we're not supposed to. It's a foolish endeavour.


But saying that, I don't believe perceptions and stereotypes just come out of nowhere. They exist because many people experience them. They are an accumulation of these experiences, and that is what makes them true.


We, as marketers, have to own up to it because now it is our responsibility to change it. We have to look at marketing, not in a traditional sense, but in an ideal sense of empathy.


Times have changed drastically. The people we serve are smarter than ever, and the knowledge gap marketers have been used to relying upon is non-existent. Marketing isn't about using cheap offers to improve sales anymore. It's about helping people live better lives and making a cultural change.


The cynicism makes sense, and it's not okay. So what can we do?


If we make sure we come from a good place, put the people we serve first, and believe that our marketing efforts are all about helping them, then people will have the right kind of experience. Moreover, we would be playing a part in changing our society and culture for the better.


The right experience builds the right impressions, which, in turn, builds the right stereotypes.


Even though we see this change happening already, there is yet a long way to go before we collectively see marketing in a positive light.


(Originally written on 27 Dec 2021)

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