Marketing is not the art of selling, but a way of helping
“Marketing is the generous act of helping someone solve a problem.”
Source & reference
At a glance
- When marketing begins with the customer’s problem rather than the product or revenue target, the message and experience change.
- Good marketing helps people make a better choice.
Today’s reflection
Seth Godin describes generosity not as giving everything away, but as seeing the problem the other person is trying to solve before focusing on what we want to sell—and then making something genuinely useful.
- Customers do not buy a product so much as the possibility that their situation will improve.
- Generous marketing does not exaggerate; it lowers the cost of making a sound decision.
- Localization is not translation alone. The problem, proof, and hesitation differ by market.
As advertising and content production accelerate, marketing is easily reduced to ‘getting seen.’ Customers, however, trust brands that understand their problem and reduce uncertainty around a choice.
Practice for today
For one current campaign, complete this sentence: ‘We help [someone] solve [a problem] and reach [a change], supported by [evidence].’ Remove copy that does not serve that promise.
Question for today
Is our marketing merely showing customers a product, or helping them make a better choice?
Readers’ Reflections
What did this bring to mind? A few lines are enough.
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