In the world of marketing, advertising, and public relations, you work for somebody else. That is what those folks do. Traditionally their job is to take a product, shine it up, and cram it into your brain. Marketers could care less about product, as their job is to sell illusions, starting with the management and ending with the accounting department who cuts their checks. Success is measured in units, bought by consumers.
The Internet has changed the rules of the game, giving the people formerly known as consumers, a voice that can be heard around the world. Folks are gonna buy stuff, but their choices are larger, and are more inclined to shop with companies who care what customers want, rather than being a ‘unit’ ‘consumer’. It really sucks to be in the marketing game nowadays. When the best you can do is the number of cup holders your product has as its unique selling proposition, you may want to seek other career opportunities. When some company signs off on this nonsense, you should look for a different product.
Seth Godin is a marketer and author who works for himself. He has a different view on marketing. This morning he posted this:
”Perhaps the biggest change the new marketing brings is the easiest to overlook, mostly because it’s so obvious.”
”Every organization now has the ability (and probably the responsibility) to deal directly with the world. With customers, with prospects and with those impacted by their actions. No middlemen.”
Read the rest of it.
Companies who heed this advice will prosper. Companies who continue down the middleman path and outsource their marketing and products will end up in the ‘product sucks’ listings on search engines and may very well end up on the latest product recall lists.
If you embrace your customers, they will sell your products, and will let you know when there is a problem. They will be happier and you will be a stronger company for it. But if you want to continue down the middleman path, know this, there is a company that sells what you sell, that does care and will get our money.