Markets, not Marketing

Effern's latest podcast references Michael D. Pollock at smallbusinessbranding.com. Pollack has created YAM ('yet another manifesto') about -- you guessed it -- small business branding. In the manifesto Pollack says, paraphrasing the Doc; "Forget Marketing. Think Conversations."

I think what the Cluetrain guys said was that markets -- not marketing -- are conversations. To get ridiculously glib about this, go to a market. A real market with tomatoes, chickens, lemons and stuff. Are people meeting and conversing there? Now think about meeting places, clearing houses and exchanges of all kinds. Ask the same question.

Marketing is not a verb describing the action of conversing in a market. If I'm there trying to get you to buy my chickens, I'm selling; I'm not marketing. We're already at the market. Modern marketing is about getting somebody to the market and that is usuallly not a conversational activity. It's a broadcast activity that is often accomplished with advertising. As soon as I respond to a broadcast activity the sales cycle has begun. Now a conversation has started. We're haggling. That's why the so-called buzz marketers are running into such heat these days. They're not really marketing; they're hustling because they're paid sales agents.

It's not surprising that we confuse sales and marketing activities. This is an era where ponzi schemes are celebrated as "MLM opportunities" (ie: multi-level marketing) and door-to-door slam artists are referred to as "marketing representatives".

Thanks for getting me to rattle my brain on this one Michael; some of the other manifesto points are as equally thought provoking. Unfortunately I disagree with most of them. Well worth the visit.