Is it time for a marketing reset?

What should the role of marketing be in the 21st century? It is time to rethink marketing, to reimagine marketing that is better equipped to serve the needs of people, the planet and enterprises (PPE).?

Perhaps we have to ask whether we can continue our pursuit of economic growth at all costs, overconsumption, industrial farming, ever shorter product life cycles, and the depletion of finite resources. Are any of these compatible in our world that struggles to deal with the enormous threats caused by climate change, loss of biodiversity and species loss, pollution, health pandemics, the inequality divide and poverty?

So, what is marketing?

Over 40 years ago, whilst studying for a business studies qualification, I became interested in marketing. I was fascinated by the behavioural aspects relating to the choices we make. The urge to satisfy our psychological needs, relating to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, is founded on?physiological (food and clothing), safety (job security), love and belonging needs (friendship), esteem, and self-actualisation.

At the time, the definition of marketing I remember was framed as “the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer needs or requirements profitably.” Now, 40 years on, it feels like marketing has been consumed with the goal of the organisation in mind rather than the individual or customer. Driven by a never-ending desire for sales, turnover and profit. Almost living in a parallel world of infinite resources and the aspiration of the latest new products and services are the missing link to happiness, fulfilment and self-worth.

As individuals, we have been positioned as consumers and encouraged to aspire to compare, improve, and never be satisfied with enough. Whilst huge parts of the world are still focused on the basic needs at the base of Maslow’s Hierarchy triangle, many of us were led to believe that the latest innovations would save us time and improve the quality of life, leisure and happiness. Although many of these innovations have led to benefits, we are still locked in an endless cycle of needing more, creating debt that means we need to give and acquire more in the process. Despite the promises, we don’t have the free time, quality of life or the fulfilment that was so convincingly promised us.

Marketing isn’t necessarily the villain, but it does need a reset. When your computer or phone freezes, the recommended solution is not to wait for it to rectify itself but to reset, restart or refresh. Many will claim that marketing is already on board, with many companies already adopting sustainable strategies of ESG and moving towards net zero.?

Having spent a significant part of my career in marketing, I am appalled at the damage caused by some brands using false, exaggerated claims in advertising and marketing communications.?To some degree, the damage caused by claims of brands and industries such as the tobacco sector has been recognised. Yet, incredibly, we are still allowing many to continue.

The latest version of this is the use of the terms "net zero", “sustainability”, and “fully recyclable” used by brands, companies and industries, which continue to cause irreversible damage to the environment, lives, communities and biodiversity. Others hide behind the claim of offsetting as a way of balancing the harm with some good.?

A classic example is the sponsoring of COP27 by Coca-Cola. The drinks manufacturer was?named the world’s leading polluter of plastics in 2021 .?Another?recent study ?found that businesses that make misleading marketing claims or ‘greenwash’ damage customer relationships.

So, what role should marketing play in contributing to our present and future?

It is time to reimagine marketing. Time for every marketeer and organisation and for the marketing profession to redraw the mission and purpose of marketing. We need marketing to step up and serve the needs of people, the planet and enterprises (PPE).

It seems obvious that when we revisit the old definition of marketing, we must ask, how do we best identify, anticipate and satisfy the needs of our time? What role can marketing offer in understanding the global need of helping to solve the greatest challenges of climate change, loss of biodiversity and species loss, pollution, health pandemics, the inequality divide and poverty??

Of course, we cannot ignore the concept of profit. However, many of our current systems and ways of doing business have become frozen and need a reset. Some organisations endorsed their websites with the concept of people, planet and profit. If we genuinely want to create a better future and solve the challenges of our time, we must adopt a new holistic approach to people, the planet and enterprises. Recognising that no one of these can exist alone. This new PPE might just protect us from the damage we have already created, but more importantly, it carries the hope and potential of a way of life that is good enough for all.

Footnote:

A fascinating read. Avram Alpert shares a few key insights from his book,?The Good-Enough Life .

Here are a few extracts:

"Good-enoughness is about being both good and enough.

"An obsession with greatness—with competition to prove that we are better and more deserving than others—is robbing us of the complexity, nuance, and common decency of good-enoughness.

"Think of cooperation like sowing a field. If you want each plot to flourish, would you put all the water and fertilizer in one area? Or would you spread enough around to make sure each could grow and develop?

"For the earth to continue to be good-enough to support our existence, we have to learn to be good-enough to it. Good enoughness will never promise the wonder of perfection, but it can promise the sublime feeling of being part of a decent, caring, and sustainable world."

#marketing #ethics #climatechange #environment #netzero #wellbeing