Is Marketing Dead?

Marketing, , , , ,

I’m troubled. Some of the smartest, most successful people I know say marketing is dead. It doesn’t matter, they say. It’s a waste of time. Instead…

… just build great product. Disrupt a big market. The buzz will follow.

And it makes some sense. Did Facebook care about marketing, or product? What about Twitter? Amazon.com? You could say their product was their marketing.

Which, however, is something like saying higher education is useless because Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg all dropped out of college.

No doubt marketing is all mixed up and turned inside out these days. It’s still a strong force in big businesses with multi-million-dollar advertising budgets, but there’s this new world in which thought, content, effort and authenticity make up for money. You don’t necessarily buy attention in this new world – you can earn it instead.

But a lot of the core concepts — like understanding your target markets, and developing your main messages, and pricing as message, and managing channels – are as important as ever.

Because there are the brilliant exceptions to the rule, and then there’s the rule.

(image: igoncepts/istockphoto.com)

7 thoughts on “Is Marketing Dead?”

  1. Pingback: Twitted by CorettaJackson
  2. William Barter – Juiz de Fora – Eu sou um profissional polivalente com mais de 25 anos de experiência na área criativa. Desde 2012, me dedico ao desafio de pesquisar a CRIATIVIDADE, do ponto de vista da inovação orgânica, que imita padrões da Natureza. Além da minha longa jornada como consultor de marketing, sou escritor, músico, poeta, podcaster e, nos últimos 5 anos, dedicado Designer de Inovação e Polinizador de Ideias. A paixão pela criatividade humana permeia todos os aspectos da minha vida, e se reflete no profundo amor pela arte de aprender e reaprender, enquanto faço novas amizades para explorar fascinantes possibilidades e mergulhar em diversos projetos. O fascínio pela diversidade que fertiliza o mundo e as relações humanas me ajudou a criar o "OMNNI - Organic Map for Innovation", uma ferramenta que identifica habilidades criativas e perfis de inovação, que pode ser usada no contexto do que chamo de “Governança de Empreendedorismo Orgânico”. GEO para os íntimos. Onde as pessoas podem interagir em projetos de inovação, combinando seus talentos para complementar as habilidades uns dos outros e, assim, resolver questões complexas. Eu observo o futuro com lentes forjadas na minha bagagem pessoal e na curiosidade que sempre me acompanhou, bem como na capacidade de me conectar com as pessoas através de suas ideias, polinizando insights sempre que possível, para desenvolver estratégias que catalisam ecossistemas criativos em culturas organizacionais. Esse sou eu hoje, mas não vai durar muito, pois, como a Natureza, estamos sempre em movimento, nos adaptando aos novos cenários, partindo em busca de novas experiências.
    William Barter says:

    Hi, Tim.
    Really, the new world is widely social and digital. The unique rule that matters is how I understand the audience’s opinion, how it changes my position and, precisely, how I can rebuilt the interaction with them. That’s the fact: We are what we can learn from the others, all the time.
    Congratulations, and thanks for the post.

  3. Hi Tim,

    Great post (as usual). As a marketing guy I’m biased, but what I see is that when marketing is equated with advertising and pushing your message on people, then I think it is fair to say that approach is dying. However, from the point of view that marketing is about articulating your purpose and then telling that story so that the right people can find, identify, and engage with you, then I think marketing is very much alive. I also believe that the core concepts you mention still play an important part in this type of marketing.

    bb

    1. Tim Berry – Eugene, OR – Founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software, founder of bplans, co-founder of Borland International, Stanford MBA, author of books and software on business planning and startups, baby boomer, exhippy, married 54 years, father of five.
      Tim Berry says:

      Thanks Bill, and I’m with you on that one, completely. I don’t answer the “is marketing dead” question with a yes.

  4. Shark Tank Ratings – Author of "Unlocking Your Entrpreneurial Potential: Marketing, Money, and Management Strategies for the Self-Funded Entrepreneur"
    Tim S. McEneny says:

    Tim,
    Many people seem to equate marketing (lower case m) with PR and advertising. Let’s not forget the main functions of Marketing (with a capital M!)…..Product, Positioning, Pricing, and Promotion. I do believe the methods used in Promotion have changed, but the first three P’s are more important than ever.

    1. Tim Berry – Eugene, OR – Founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software, founder of bplans, co-founder of Borland International, Stanford MBA, author of books and software on business planning and startups, baby boomer, exhippy, married 54 years, father of five.
      Tim Berry says:

      Tim: yes, right on. The other three matter as much as ever, and probably that promotion variable, although drastically changed in my opinion, still matters a lot. Tools, possibilities. and even keys to success are different now, but still vital.

  5. Tim,
    small post, but so inspiring.
    So, as i can understand, marketing is changing and not dying, which is sensible, since all the circumstances are changing, with target’s group understanding, that maybe is the most important, to switch completely.

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