A third kind of marketing

First, we had push marketing, then came pull marketing. We need to go beyond both …

Back in the old days, marketing was basically push marketing. In a disconnected world where mass attention was controlled by a few TV stations and a couple of magazines, whoever had the biggest budget could basically buy attention and get a huge advantage to sell their products.

With the rise of the Internet, things changed. Now, it was possible to reach masses of people without a big budget. Rather than to be unavoidable, marketers figured out a way to become irresistible. They built magnets, traps, and things like scarcity campaigns which customers couldn’t resist.

Yet, more and more people feel like they don’t really like being pushed or pulled. In fact, they dislike any kind of force. They feel quite comfortable deciding on their own where to go. This is why we see a new kind of marketing emerging that doesn’t rely on force.

Instead, this new kind of marketing is about giving our audiences a choice and letting them decide. This kind of marketing favours those who deeply understand what matters to their customers. By starting with work that matters and creating relevance, these marketers manage to resonate so strongly with what matters to their audience that customers will want to learn more … and when they do, they will want to buy their product because it will be a perfect match.

Rather than pushing or pulling someone, this approach to marketing is about lighting the path. This fall, I’m going to launch a masterclass on it. Register here to get notified (or just drop me a note).