All Marketers Are Liars
Book: All Marketers Are Liars, The power of telling authentic stories in a low-trust world
Author: Seth Godin
I'm mentioning this book here because it is a useful reminder of the renewed power of authentic storytelling.
But, I'm slightly peeved at this book. Purely for personal reasons and nothing to do with its content. As part of his weblog, Seth Godin offered one of those rubber Pinocchio liar noses he is wearing on the book cover (actually I think it's a Cyrano de Bergerac nose. Whatever...) to people who send in to him good stories showing marketers lying.
I sent in a great story (I thought) - a riff that the comedian Bill Hicks used to do on stage in which he told anyone in the audience who was in marketing or advertising that they were spawn of the devil and should stop messing with their fellow humans' heads.
I got back a short email from Seth simply saying "No nose for you". Ho, hum. Guess I'll just have to get used to not being in the 'in' crowd (as usual). Regardless of that, the book's premise comes as no surprise (of course all marketers are liars). But, you may be a little surprised that authentic , according to Godin, doesn't necessarily mean completely truthful: just real enough, believable and consistent.
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Reversal
Are all liars marketers?
:D
No
No - they are not.....we can't just single out marketers because I suspect we are all liars dependant on the circumstance?Â
Kate
we are all liars
I saw some research recently that said we all lie something like 28 times a day on average. Sounds on the low side to me.
So where's the syllogism going? Does that make us all marketers?
:D
Yes - simply we are all 'marketers'
When you really think about it the simple answer is yes, we are all 'marketers' . In both our personal and business lives we are always selling something.   Daily we attempt to 'sell and market' our ideas, our vision, our strategy, our desires.Â
Kate
self-marketing
I agree. We must market and sell every idea. It's a very human thing.
Can we do this with integrity? Is lying just poor marketing?
:D
No. Marketers simply
No. Marketers simply glamourise a product or an idea and may be take a seat in your imagination or your mind.. see there ... each one's mind sees diffrently ( read consumer behaviour)Â - that's the answer. Marketers never lie, they just step in to your mind and make you feel nice.....
Marketers don't simply
'Marketers simply' is probably a bit simple, if you'll forgive the words. Marketers may make you feel nice. They may also make you feel interested, scared, curious and a whole bunch more. Or at least facilitate you doing it to yourself.
I was once an engineer and thought marketers were just people in suits who went out to lunch. Then I became a marketer and realized that it's not that simple.
So I went on to change management, which was easier.
:D
Marketers are not liars
This is exactly the reaction 'Marketing' can get.
Thanks,
Naga