Do Marketers Make Marketing Complicated On Purpose?

Welcome To Go-To-Market Shenanigans.? If you read our welcome email, you know we discuss the practical & unorthodox marketing approaches we’ve discovered from launching & growing lifestyle brands. Today, we will discuss whether or not marketing agencies make marketing complicated on purpose.

Disclaimer: most of these newsletters will consist of a few of these topics, but considering this is my first one and I’m fired up, I wrote a novel. I hope you enjoy it.

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Marketing??? Do Marketing Agencies Make Marketing Complicated on Purpose?

The one and only @frankfarts roasting me on social media.

Recently, I’ve fallen victim to getting torched on my social media about using “annoying marketing lingo.” As someone who often speaks out against marketing agencies and their excessive use of industry jargon, I found this roast particularly relatable. Marketing agency language is often peppered with acronyms that, when spelled out, do not form complete sentences or thoughts.

In fact, I actually call my own business a “firm” because of my persistent desire to disassociate with the agency space in general. Put quite simply, you don’t trust a financial agency with your savings; you trust a financial firm, and I believe marketing should be viewed as an investment, not an expense. (*???pretend this is getting dropped).

To understand how a marketing agency works and why they makes things complicated on purpose, let’s first define the difference between an agency and a firm.

• ?An agency by definition, is a company that provides a specialized service to their clients.
• A firm, by definition, is a business organization that seeks to make a profit through the sale of goods and services.

Notice how only one of these definitions mentions profit? Ironically, the one that does, FIRM if you missed it, aims to make a profit by selling goods or services… this is specialization! When was the last time you saw a marketing agency that wasn’t an expert in everything? Odds are you haven’t because you couldn’t make it past the jargon on the landing page. ??

So, to break things down, let’s discuss the typical approach of a marketing agency. (Disclaimer: this is my experience with agencies; this does not include everybody.)

1. Sell a client: the sales process typically depicts why the prospect is literally F’d if they don’t engage with the highest-tiered marketing package. (this usually consists of over-complicating the marketing landscape & making the prospect feel behind if you aren’t using specific software, services, or lingo.)
2. Closing the retainer: After closing a sale, the agency typically works to understand what they just sold because it generally is out of scope from their previous projects.
3. “Can We Do This Inhouse?”: The agency must then comprehend whether or not they can perform what they just sold. In many cases, they need to bring on a freelancer, firm, or new hire to perform the new scope of work/task at hand.
4. Recruiting the expert: The agency is required to confidently recruit and employ this exceptional individual at a rate that ensures a profitable line item, prioritizing their own success rather than that of the client. (This typically leads to the outsourced talented operating with significantly fewer resources.)
5. Sell more clients: Once the project is in full swing, the agency will seize the opportunity to seek out fresh clients to captivate with your sales prowess. While your newly recruited team member is diligently executing the tasks at hand, it is the perfect moment for the agency to craft an exquisite pitch deck that will leave the client in awe during the inaugural monthly check-in.
6. Rinse & repeat: Once you’re in the system, you’re there until the contract expires. If your business has a logo with some brand equity, it’s getting leveraged.

So why am I sharing all this? As somebody who works in marketing, I believe almost every first encounter or engagement starts with trust issues. It almost feels like everybody came out of a toxic high school relationship. I mean, we’ve all been there, right? The prom only looks this good on the Disney channel.

As a business owner who has been both the client and the outsourced hire, I believe it is my duty to bring this strategy into the light, and by strategy, I mean sales strategy, not a profitable strategy to sell your product or service.

As the marketing world forever expands and adapts, I encourage all brands to find firms and individual specialists for the categories they believe will make them most profitable. What I mean by this is do a couple of things really well, like one or two things really well, that will make you money. Use experts to do those tasks, hire consultants to help you build the frameworks, and then hire in-house when the framework is replicable. A good marketing firm/consultant should welcome a business model like Hinge; delete us when you find the perfect fit.

And on my end, I’ll do my best not to sound like a pretentious douche canoe of a marketing professor and drop the acronyms. ??

Advertising ?? Here’s the best Ad I’ve seen this week.

Tiger Woods Walk On Water Commercial. (2009)

Let’s face it: They don’t make commercials like they used to, and the 2000s were filled with entertaining chaos.

In light of Tiger making a departure from Nike, I think it’s only appropriate to pay homage to this piece of art. ??

I still have faith that advertising can make a comeback. We just have to work on our attention spans… and with that being said, I’m going to go write the next post.

Hot Takes ??? Alex Hormozi is going to put Big College out of business.

Alex Hormozi doing baller things.

Alex Hormozi has been taking over the world for a minute. A man with a plan that I believe has good intentions for humanity and is willing to give out free knowledge at minimal costs is something society needs more of. His wife is also a baller, so I am plugging her here.

So why am I sharing this? Truthfully, I enjoy publicizing and or documenting hot takes or future predictions in the wide world of business. Just think about it: How annoying is it to show your best friends a song you found five years ago and have them tell you they shazam’d it at the bar last week? Talk about a gut punch.

So here’s my Alex Hormozi prediction:

I've always mentioned I believe Hormozi’s long-term vision is to build an affordable educational platform that competes against colleges and empowers entrepreneurs with the tools & software they need to be successful. Given that his business is now mergers and acquisitions, I believe the idea would be to empower more businesses, instill goodwill within humanity, and streamline the entire acquisition process by integrating his proprietary software.

This move appears to be a step in that direction, and if this isn’t his plan, maybe this is a wild idea that could work. I mean, heck, I’d use his software!

Product ?? I have a feeling this is a million-dollar product.

Anti-Ordinary A2 Beanie Helmet

Now, let’s face it. Depending on who you ask, wearing a helmet isn’t always “cool.” That said, having a high-functioning brain when you’re older is probably a pretty cool idea. Luckily, studies show that helmet usage has increased nearly 90% since 2003. Way to time the market demand boys!

But if helmet usage has increased since 2003, why do we need another helmet, you ask? This isn’t just any other helmet; it’s a helmet that looks like a beanie and arguably functions better than your current helmet. Just watch this video if you don’t believe me.

Selfishly, I want to help put this company into orbit. If the product is really all it’s cracked up to be, stylishly preventing brain injuries one run at a time, it sounds right in line with our expertise.

If you dig the idea, give these guys some love!

Health & Wellness??? Let’s talk about primal movement.

Myself (left) and Sean Russel Herman (right)

This dude pictured to the right, Sean Russel Herman, is an absolute freak of nature. Naturally curious, generously spontaneous, and born with a god-given knack for mind and body connection, he is forming a new workout practice through his growing franchise, Musou Movement.

Having always loved acrobatics as a kid, I always felt this sense of “play” was quickly stripped from us as we began conforming to adulthood. But as I’ve learned, the weirder the movement and the harder it is to grasp mentally and physically, the more you grow in just about every aspect of your life. Check out this podcast if you’re curious about what play can do for the mind.

As society grows into the 20s and late 30s, it’s often seen as a time when the body starts to ache, pull, and disorient itself. In reality, our bone and muscle growth peak in our 20s, and if you’re interested in reproduction at some point in your life, it might not be a bad idea to invest in your ability to do so.

Having grown so much from these practices, I will dedicate a page that showcases movements and the effects I’ve found on the mind. Yes, it might sound hippy, but this stuff works.

I firmly assert that attaining peak physical shape is solely achievable through the pursuit of optimal movement. It is imperative to comprehend that a state of peak physical shape is characterized by a harmonious balance and exceptional prowess in mental acuity, cardiovascular endurance, and physical strength.

Links For The Week ?? Here are some resources we learned from.

Gif by vulture on Giphy

This one’s short & and sweet, but if you enjoy learning, here’s us shamelessly plugging some people:

#2060 - Gary Brecka

• Listen to this episode from The Joe Rogan Experience on Spotify. Gary Brecka is a human biologist and co-founder of 10X Health System.
• open.spotify.com/episode/3IPGysPyS1rrQDZD9pl2zG?si=eONWN1X7SOGrvpHkqXy3yw
• Subscribe to Trust Fun: a newsletter somewhere between unemployed and entrepreneurs. (Definitely worth it if you're interested in the consumer products industry)

Wisdom??? What does the future of a subscription-based economy hold for your mental health?

Via Walden by Henry David Thoreau

A close friend, Noah Ryan, brought this quote to my attention. Another fitness freak with a mission to get more out of life through Fitness, supplements, peptides, lifestyle design, and hormones.

Follow along if you’re interested in learning from his personalized protocols. You might have to look up some of his words, but I promise it’s worth following. ???You can subscribe to his newsletter here.

Tunes??? Here’s our go-to track for the week.

open.spotify.com/track/5aRZk9oWIYUB5alrTs8TTV?si=c0b5da4d3ff24b65