This blog is about people hate marketing. I realized that people label lots of negative adjectives related to the term “Marketing” than positive ones. Why? Let’s discuss it!
Problem
When thinking about marketing, do you think people are more likely to think about fun and engaging ads from big brands, or more about boring and repetitive ones daily showing everywhere they go, on their bus and Skytrain, on the radio while driving, on buildings in their neighborhood, and on their personal devices? We see ads everywhere that we think it is a part of our lives, and our brain automatically filter ads from the content we are focusing on.
Have you ever noticed how frequently we skip ads throughout the day? And how annoying it is to wait just 5 seconds for a YouTube ad to finish before we can click “Skip Ad”? In fact, some people even resort to purchase YouTube Premium just to avoid seeing ads altogether. And let’s not forget the popularity of AdBlock, the ad-blocking Chrome extension with over 350 million downloads. Before, people used mute button or switch TV or radio channel, now they download AdBlock or different packages to avoid ads.
Even as someone who studied marketing for years, I’ll admit that I too skip ads often they interrupt my tutorial videos, music videos, and TV Show clips. Sometimes, I don’t even care what the ad is about – I just find it bothersome.
Why?
But here’s the thing – marketing encompasses a wide range of activities beyond just advertising, such as market research, product development, branding, and customer relationship management. As marketers, we know this. However, our customers don’t necessarily see it that way. When they think of marketing, they often define it by their experiences.
Unfortunately, lots of these experiences are negative. In detail, receiving relentless spam emails, text messages, and morning calls from clueless telemarketers. Another example could be when companies make exaggerated claims about their products or services, or when advertisements interrupt their browsing or viewing experience, such as when pop-up ads appear on websites or when ads play before or during videos. People also dislike it when marketing is overly aggressive or pushy, such as when salespeople are too focused on KPIs and use high-pressure tactics to make a sale.
These experiences have led to a general lack of trust in products and brands, a perception that they lack authenticity, and a sense of boredom with the same old storylines and ad formats that we’ve all grown accustomed to. Then, people starting to label marketing as “trickery”, “manipulative”, “deceptive”, and “pushy”, etc.
At the same time, as marketers, we face various pressures from meeting sales targets, delivering results within a short timeframe, or achieving Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These pressures can come from different sources, such as upper management, clients, or even within the marketing team itself, and may lead to prioritizing short-term gains over the long-term success of building a strong brand and sustainable marketing strategy. As a result, customers may feel tricked or manipulated into making a purchase, hurting the company’s reputation and customer loyalty.
Solution
In order to solve this dilemma, we need to focus on two key areas. First, we need to strive for balance by aligning our short-term campaign SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time) with the company’s overall vision and values. This allows us to balance our short-term goals with a focus on building trust, relationships, and brand loyalty.
Second, we need to focus on the stories we are delivering to our customers. In today’s world, customers are looking for more than just a transactional relationship with businesses. They want to connect with brands that share their values, understand their needs, and provide them with personalized experiences. To achieve this, marketers need to focus on creating captivating and authentic stories that resonate with their target audience. These stories should emotionally connect with customers and become a part of their lives, reflecting their values, and showing who they are. By delivering authentic stories consistently across all channels, marketers can build a strong brand image that reflects the company’s mission and values. This approach helps to establish a deep connection with customers, leading to increased engagement, loyalty, and advocacy.
Conclusion
In conclusion, by adopting a customer-centric approach that prioritizes authenticity, creativity, and innovation, marketers can change people’s negative perception of marketing and build a positive, empowering, and enduring relationship with their customers. By striving for balance and focusing on delivering captivating and authentic stories, marketers can build a strong brand image that reflects the company’s values and mission, leading to increased customer engagement, loyalty, and advocacy.