Once you go down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. ~ Yoda
"Because the purpose of business is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two — and only two — basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are costs. Marketing is the distinguishing, unique function of the business." - Peter Drucker
Your reputation will be created by thousands of actions, but may be lost with just one. ~ Elaine Biech
Marketing is the greatest social technology ever invented for solving human problems.
As societies evolves, it innovates--some good, and some bad. We have to choose which innovations are beneficial. Society makes these choices through buying products and services.
Because people buy before they consume, the choices made are actually based on marketing.
As tools and technologies change, people become more aware of marketing. Both for its ability to do good and its ability to do bad.
Given this, we, as marketers, have a responsibility to move society forward in a way that's good for society.
The 5 Rules for Being a Responsible Marketer
I got much of the main thoughts here from a TED talk from a VC about how business works. But, I’ve applied it to marketing.
- Marketing isn't a jungle—it's a common garden. But, like gardens, you must care for them. There must be rules, social norms or democratic regulation (climate change, financial crisis). We have to sign up to the golden rule ("do unto others")—otherwise short term gains destroy the long term benefit. The people that, like us, tend to this garden--this is our tribe.
- Inclusion creates growth—we market to, and for, people. Including more people into the tribe that we serve causes growth in both the market and our business. Current economic theory says there are two curves--supply and demand. We are the "third curve", information, that drives the market to buy. More information, more inclusion, increases the pie for everyone.
- **Marketers improve the outcome and lives of everyone—**Our purpose as a marketer is not only to produce a profit for the shareholders. It's also to improve the outcome and lives of all. We inform others about innovations. And, their choices help people do things better.
- Greed is NOT good. Being for ourselves at all costs doesn't make us capitalists, it makes us sociopaths. Sociopathy is bad for business, markets, and our society. If we must be greedy, let's be long-term greedy. A greed that benefits all in society in the long term. Short term greed is bad, and doesn't allow for sustainable businesses.
- Buying most things is a choice in the free world. It's not physics. It's not physics. Buying is a set of social norms, constituted narratives, best practices, and behaviors. To treat it as unequivocal fact undermines truth. Anyone telling you that marketing is as simple as X = Y is not correct. A choice causes the transaction to occur.