What’s the Purpose of Marketing in Unprecedented Times?

So I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the role of marketing in unprecedented times — in a world that’s being pulled inside-out and shaken all around. Cuz it seems like we’ve had a lot of that, recently.

I’ve seen some really interesting and creative and maybe even thought-provoking approaches to marketing in the past three months — and I’ve seen some really odd ones. And it’s gotten me thinking, “How should a marketer approach the whole idea of marketing when all of creation is coming apart at the seams?”

What Is the Purpose of Marketing?

There was a time when I would have said that marketing is all about supporting sales — helping you to generate new leads and nurturing those leads through the funnel until they’re ready to buy. (In fact, I did say it.) Okay, that’s fine. There’s nothing WRONG with that statement — it’s not untrue.

But it sure doesn’t feel complete. Especially nowadays.

Because what happens when a cataclysmic event rings your doorbell? How does your marketing even begin to think about addressing that kind of thing? A lot of the time, what you get is well-meaning messages about how your company doesn’t stand for racism, or empathetic emails about how you’re there to support your customers, even when we’re apart. And what you end up with is something like this:

There’s nothing wrong with those messages, but they become cliche after the third brand regurgitates them. That kind of marketing is useless.

Also, read this: Quit Saying You’re Here for Me

There’s Got to Be More to Marketing Than That

Yes! There is. And this is what it is.

Marketing exists to bring optimism and hope into the world.

I’ll die on my sword over that one. Think about it: there’s a reason your company exists — and it’s NOT to make money. It isn’t to sell widgets. It’s to bring good into the world — to DO good in the world.

Your marketing is all about taking that message and putting it into the world so that other people can get excited about it and help you make that difference in the world — whether it’s buying your product or hiring your service or connecting to your non-profit cause. Whatever it might be, your marketing is there to help your business do good in the world.

So then: when you’ve got “unprecedented times such as these,” you aren’t stuck regurgitating trite messaging about how your company is also standing with others (like every other socially conscious brand).

Instead, invite people into the hope and optimism that your company can provide. Don’t try to make the sale, don’t try to make it all about your brand. Instead, remember the values that your business was founded on. What is it that your company believes? Talk about that. Show your audience how you’re making that hope come true in the world today.

THAT’S the role of marketing in unprecedented times.