Marketing Is Not The Same As Hyperbole

A recent article by Atom Ariola of the Los Angeles Times rattled me. Marketing terms are dominating global politics details the author’s view that modern diplomacy is now the art of the “deal” and that the complexities of solving wars and other disagreements are now being simplified into “the simple language of marketing – simple, repeatable built to hold attention.”

Sadly, Ariola has a point. Our political environment has degraded to a world of sound bites and fantastic claims.

That’s Not Marketing

But, to me, that’s not marketing. That’s hyperbole. There’s a difference.

Yes, I would agree that many of our politicians and (so called) diplomats are taking to using extreme terms and hype to describe complex situation that are meant to incite emotions as they try to sell their ideas. And I would concede that can be an *element* of the marketing mix. But it’s unfair and unwise to describe this as marketing.

What is Marketing?

Marketing consists of identifying a need or problem, proposing a solution and explaining why you are the person to provide that solution. 

As a mentor with SCORE, I deal with dozens of clients who are running small businesses to help them with their marketing. Few have any marketing background, and that’s fair. I don’t have much in the way of experience running their type of business. But, too often, they start by talking about themselves. Here’s what I do! This is why I’m great. 

Maybe we can call that selling. But it’s not understanding or trying to solve a pain point for a potential customer.

I always encourage my clients to start with defining the customer's problem or need, then the solution and then "why you." That's step one. Then you can start your marketing efforts. Successful marketing campaigns that lead to successful businesses work because people have a need that the person or business can solve.

That, in my opinion, is a good thing! Solve a need that someone has!

Back to the Political Realm

Going back to Ariola’s article, to me, when a politician or diplomat invokes hyperbolic terms that incite emotion, it’s not because they’re trying to solve a customer’s or the public’s needs, it’s because they’re trying to sell themselves to us. They want power. They want money. They want influence. They want to get reelected.

We’d be better served if these same people actually practiced marketing and addressed what the public wants. Lower prices. Peace. Safety.

Will Things Change?

I’m not expecting things to change but let’s not pigeonhole marketing as a bad thing. When done right, it’s a good thing. It can solve a problem that a person or organization has by filling a need. It can also sift out those things that nobody wants. A business with a product or service that no one is interested in will ultimately fail, as it probably should.

Politicians and diplomats that rely on hyperbole to incite the public aren’t, in my opinion, meeting a need, they’re carnival barkers and (hopefully) will ultimately lose their positions and be replaced by someone who actually understands and meets the public’s needs, instead of serving themselves.