by Carl Ingalls

People automatically think of marketing as being insincere.  But what if it weren’t?  What if marketing were sincere?  What would that look like?

I turned to someone on Twitter who has done a lot more thinking about marketing than I have (but does not want to be identified).  I asked for her opinion about what sincere marketing might be, and this is what she told me.

I suspect it has to do with not over-promising, with having a clear, concise message that aligns perfectly with the actual product/service and doesn’t exaggerate or aggrandize.  I would say that this would be found in companies with a strong corporate ethic, environmental companies, and higher-end or possibly some luxury category goods/services.  Those that have a strong product/service that stands well on its own don’t have to ‘oversell’ so they would fall into this category I guess.

The reason this matters to us is that insincere marketing is not compatible with the way we teach people to sell.

What are your thoughts?