If you don’t believe in marketing, you’re not alone.
Similar to paranormal activity, there are many contradictions inherent about marketing and its measurable success.
Is marketing a myth? We appreciate you, yes you, Marketing Skeptics out there because you challenge commonly accepted beliefs in the hopes of uncovering the truth behind what we do. If you’re a growing brand or an active consumer on the fence between complete cynicism and total trust in marketing, we’re here to show you the evidence you need to believe.
Popular belief: “I can’t see it, so it must not be there.” 👀
Many of us have had those weird, occasional sensations; seeing shadows or shapes out of the corner of our eye, only for them to disappear when we turn to look.
And while you may be one of those people who is not afraid of such a paranormal (or in your eyes, normal) experience, did you ever stop and wonder just what kind of ghostly apparition you encountered?
Many people shrug off the “idea” of marketing the same way they shrug off a strange feeling, shadow, or distant sound. We believe everyone can benefit greatly from a little critical thinking. Like most folks, you don’t consider all the thousand different kinds of marketing tactics you come across every single day, without really “seeing” them. From the time you wake up to the time you set your 5th alarm (that we all know you’ll snooze through again anyway) in the morning, you are already bombarded with marketing “activity” and will continue to be throughout your whole day.
Digital Marketing experts estimate that most Americans are exposed to around 4,000 to 10,000 advertisements each day. Of course, most people won’t actually recall seeing 10,000 ads. In order to keep our sanity, we’ve developed a subconscious screening process to ignore most advertising messages. Only a few hundred marketing attempts make it past our “attention wall” each day. This is why marketing must be creative, memorable, and engaging – so it is inherently recognized and not choked up to be a distant sound or blurry visual.
Popular belief: “It can be debunked.” 🤔
We all know what die-hard paranormal fanatics will say – any unexplained light, absence of light, or noise can be evidence of ghosts.
Paranormal skeptics are quick to debunk this statement with ever-evolving ghost hunting technology. More often than not, people are also on the hunt to debunk marketing. Success is quickly and unscientifically attributed to other factors such as word of mouth. Much to Marketing Skeptics’ demise, they don’t realize the obvious – marketing doesn’t require faith. It simply requires us to think strategically based on each unique business problem or goal at hand.
You wouldn’t rely on a pair of scissors to cut your 1.5 acre lawn, so why would you rely on word of mouth when it comes to the success of your business? (Unless you plan on screaming very, very loudly to the world.)
Instead of screaming, marketing experts use the appropriately designated online and/or off-line platforms to tackle each unique goal ahead. Instead of crossing our fingers and hoping for the best, measurable and trackable statistics are used to see the success (or failure) of a campaign. Part of success is recognizing, accepting, and learning from attempts that are not successful. Anyone who claims to have a 100% marketing success rate are deserving of the skepticism at hand.
Popular belief: “I can’t communicate with it.” 🗣️
People have claimed to communicate with spirits for ages.
Since the late 1800s, many psychic mediums claim to speak to the dead — but were later exposed as frauds by skeptical investigators. The same can be said for business owners who don’t believe in marketing. They do not feel that their brand is able to hold a true connection with their audience if an agency is the driving voice behind the brand. This couldn’t be more inaccurate.
Brands have the ability to communicate with their audience in more ways than one, and on a true, personal level – regardless of who is pressing ‘send’. Great audience communication will lead to loyal customers who return time and time again to be part of your brand “family”. That is, if you make them feel welcome enough. People want to be treated like people, and want to speak with people – not automated robots. Sincerely personalized marketing can give your audience the same warm-and-fuzzies they get when they talk to their best friend.
When a brand consistently shows up in someone’s life, pays attention, and takes an interest in them, trust naturally grows over time. It may take longer with Marketing Skeptics, but they’ll come around if you sincerely respect and communicate with them through your brand in a natural manner. If you don’t “communicate” (send emails, social media posts and interactions, direct mail, etc.) with your audience enough, they will forget your existence.
Popular belief: “It’s made up for reality TV.” 📺
Ghost hunting has spawned unquantifiable spinoffs and imitators, and it’s not hard to see why these reality shows are so popular – they’re dramatic.
They almost always turn up some sort of hard evidence, whether it be footage, recordings, or testimonials. Paranormal activity is often made up to look more dramatic than it is to keep viewers entertained.
The same can be said about marketing agencies, resources, and platforms. Many offer unrealistic expectations and wind up falling short, which has led to mistrust in the advertising world. Consumers have grown jaded and dismal after being disappointed time and time again by dishonest and misleading marketing. People want to see real facts, quality products, and a sincere connection from the brands they decide to support.
Quality marketing is out there, though, and more easily identifiable than you think. An honest brand allows you the opportunity to be as involved – or uninvolved – in their journey as you find comfortable. They will not attempt malicious marketing like spam emails or unwanted solicitations of any kind. Instead, they allow you to make the initial connection, whether it be a purchase, a follow, or a check-in, to show your interest before attempting a continued relationship with you.
Still don’t believe?
Some decision makers don’t “believe” in marketing because they don’t fully understand what marketing is or how it can be applied to their business.
It’s an unfortunate misunderstanding due to insufficient education and awareness. To combat the disbelief, a study from the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) has claimed to offer “definitive” proof that advertising works. The research was based on over 5,000 campaigns, a decade of data and $375bn in advertising spend in 41 countries.
The groundbreaking insights include:
- Marketers may be starving off growth by not investing enough in advertising as they shift the mix from traditional to new platforms, missing the opportunity to generate billions in additional return.
- Spending across multiple platforms delivers greater ROI than any single platform – including for Millennial consumers.
- “Silo-investing” – too much frequency via a single platform can lead to diminishing returns.
- To jumpstart growth marketers can take advantage of the “kicker effect” of smart spending with specific combinations of traditional plus new media on the right platforms.
- A unified creative strategy across platforms is key to compound the investment of a multi-platform campaign, but unified creative executions also need to be specifically tailored to each platform to ensure optimal consumer engagement.
Like all things, great success comes with time.
We don’t expect Marketing Skeptics to believe overnight, but we firmly believe that given an appropriate amount of time along with transparent honesty and creative content, they will turn into believers. We are grateful to work with brands who understand marketing and the importance of a marketing partnership, but on the same token, we’ll never back down from helping others to see the light. As for ghosts, you’re on your own.