Is marketing an intrinsically evil practice?

[Findesemana]

I am a digital marketer. This means I plan marketing in social media channels, via e-mail, and write website content for firms. This is also done by speaking with managers and formulating plans concerning how their customers will receive and value this content. The central marketing concept is providing mutual value between consumers and organisations.

So it annoys me when people misguidedly say “marketing is evil!” I disagree, not only because I’m not an evil person (I’ve never organised a genocide….that I know of…..) but it’s a gross misrepresentation of what marketing is about.

These points are common marketing communications/promotional work in society:

- If you don’t have an iPhone, then you don’t have an iPhone

- I’m luvin’ it! (McDs)

- This logo - https://logos.wikia.com/wiki/Intel_Inside

- And this logo – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swoosh

- And this logo - https://twitter.com/thegeicogecko

Most people would say these are benign, and even would commend the Apple slogan for being a bit cheeky/arrogant. But these are terribly manipulative or “evil”.

The fact is, well marketers are human. And humans can and will do things that are not nice or benevolent. So exploiting human weaknesses can happen on this basis. It doesn’t mean all marketing is wrong or “evil” because a few abuse it. Some doctors do bad things, but it doesn’t mean all of medicine is evil and must be outlawed.

I think many would say generalisations don’t make sense, however this has to apply in this case. I would add that nobody is truly forced to buy any product. I may be a man, and perhaps cannot fully empathise or relate, but women who feel manipulated by fashion magazines into feeling insecure…well can choose not to buy them. For this reason, I refuse to consult with fashion bodies, and only for organisations who have a good track record, and/or don’t sell manipulative products.

So don’t hate….learn, marketing is not as “evil” or malevolent as you think. :)