Seth Godin, who doesn’t know him?
A world-famous Marketer and Author of many best-selling books on Marketing. In this article, I will share some insights from his most celebrated book “All Marketers are Liars”. A Marketer himself by profession remarks that All Marketers are liars.
It was undigested for me. I have been interested in Marketing since the beginning of my career. So, when I read the title of his most famous book “All Marketers are Liars”. I got curious to know his point of view on that. Why will a world-class marketer call his community a liar?
In this article, I will also try to figure out why he came up with such a bold conclusion.
No doubt, A marketer plays a crucial role in the success of any business. He can’t be undermined by any company. His job is to ensure that the products and services are marketed well enough to keep the demand going. He identifies the customer’s needs, wants, and demands, pushing companies to innovate and bring out better products over time.
Now we know, who is a Marketer and what he does. Now comes to the second point how he does it.
A Marketer tells a story. He is the storyteller. He frames a story in such a way that customers are bound to resonate with his story and trust him and buy his products.
In his book “A Marketer is a Liar” Seth Godin emphasizes three things:
- All Marketers are Liars.
- All Marketers are Storytellers.
- Only Losers are Liars.
Did you get the hint?
Ok, I simplify it for you.
First, I’ll ask you some questions.
Q1- Do you believe that 100 rs of cream will make your skin glow or 5 rs of shampoo will protect your hair from dandruff?
Q2- Do you think that your buying decision is influenced by the ad you are shown across all media channels?
If your answer is NO.
Then, pay heed to the beauty products you use daily and ask this question: which thing persuaded me to buy them?
I know that you will not be able to answer it on the first attempt but you will get the answer, soon.
So, come to the point.
Why a Marketer is a liar?
Because he never tells the fact, instead he tells an imaginary story that changes the worldview of his consumer. A consumer is influenced by his story because he believes in the story. He lies because the Consumer demands it. He tells the stories, and consumers believe them. Some marketers do it well. Others are pretty bad at it.
The reason all successful marketers tell stories is that consumers insist on it. Consumers are used to telling stories to themselves and telling stories to each other, and it’s just natural to buy stuff from someone who’s telling us a story. A Marketer just knows this hack and leverages human psychology.
Whose Fault?
A Marketer tells a story and consumers believe in that story. Seth Godin deems Consumers equally complicit in this storytelling process. No marketer can get a person to do something without his active participation. But this complicity doesn’t absolve marketers of the responsibility that comes with the awesome power we’ve got to tell and spread stories.
We know, we can’t get something done forcefully by others. on a physical level, it is impossible unless you hold on a gun in your hand. On a psychological level, it is possible to enter into someone’s head and control his brain.
Now again, who allows him to enter your head?
Obviously, we as a consumer. If we are shown repeatedly the same manipulating truth across all media channels as a human we start believing in that. This is what a Marketer does with his consumers.
As you will start supporting Mr. Godin’s POV. He will change his mind.
Now he says, A Marketer is not a liar. He is just a storyteller. It’s the consumers who believe in his stories and who are liars. As consumers, we lie to ourselves every day. We lie to ourselves about what we wear, where we live, how we vote, and what we do at work. Successful marketers are just the providers of stories that consumers choose to believe. Isn’t true?
In the book, Seth Godin shares his unbiased views on a marketer and consumer. I heartily appreciate it. I can say here, the purpose of this book is not to prove someone’s lying but to make realize the responsibility of the individual.
You see how the title of this book turned out to be the opposite of what we had expected.
So, before going to end this article. I will share some best key takeaways from this book.
- A good story (either from the marketer or from the customer herself) is where genuine customer satisfaction comes from. It’s the source of growth and profit and it’s the future of your organization. Maybe who is lying to who isn’t all that important, in the end, as long as the connection has been made and the story has been successfully told.
- The only way your story will be believed, the only way people will tell themselves the lie you are depending on, and the only way your idea will spread is if you tell the truth. And you are telling the truth when you live the story you are telling—when it’s authentic.
- Marketing is the most powerful force available to people who want to make a change. And with that power comes responsibility. We (anyone with the ability to tell a story—online, in print, or to the people in our communities) have the ability to change things more dramatically than ever before in history. Marketers have the leverage to generate a huge impact in less time—and with less money—than ever before.
I hope, these insights will help you to thrive in your Marketing career or in your business. If you love this article, I’m sure you will tell others about it.