There are a lot of scams out there. One of the largest, yet least talked-about scam of them all is the entire field of marketing.
Marketers are all scammers, greedy folks out to convince people to spend money on things they don’t need for reasons they don’t understand, all to increase the revenues of their respective companies, and, in turn, line their own pockets.
It’s a dirty, dirty business. We spend billions of dollars every year to reach consumers like you – on your television, phone, computer, commute, newspaper, magazines. We pay other people to promote our products so that it sounds like you’re just getting a recommendation from a friend. We pay for your personal information so we can learn more about you and find new, sneakier ways to get our message across.
If our products were any good, you would hear about them or find them yourself. You don’t need us to tell you about them. We have no incentive to tell you the truth. Our only incentive is to get you to buy, to give us your money.
Marketing is a scam. Right?
Here’s the part where I tell you I’m just having a little fun. That I’m just kidding and marketers are all honest, thoughtful people. Unfortunately, I can’t do that. Most of what I said above has some truth to it.
This isn’t a manifesto. This isn’t me blowing the whistle on my field. This is a call to arms.
It’s time for marketers and companies the world over to put in a little more effort. Make your products great. Treat your customers well. Sell in an honest way.
And it’s time for consumers to reward those companies with your business, and to punish the ones who don’t evolve by leaving them behind.
Not all companies can be great companies. Not all marketers can be great marketers. But we must, all of us, strive to be better.
Marketing is not a scam. But it’s seen that way by a lot of people, both inside and outside the profession. It is in our power to change that.