We need to re-think marketing as a story that either does or does not resonate with us. Do we trick people or build lives and careers where we tell the truth and work with people who want to do the same? Everyone has their own TV station, everyone has their own radio station, everyone has their own printing press. So what are you going to put on it? Because if we are moving beyond ‘You work for me and you do what I say’ to a world where we say, ‘Here’s a microphone, speak up, here’s an internet connection’, we’re going to notice what you do. So, whether or not you choose to be a marketer, you are one.
Artists understand the mindset of people they haven’t even met yet, then put a story into the world that resonates enough to start changing that mindset. The Walmart view of the world is that people want as much stuff as possible, for as cheap a price as possible. It’s a worldview based on scarcity. ‘I don’t have enough stuff: how do I get more stuff?’ A different worldview sees the world as abundance. What we don’t have enough of is connection, people are lonely, and we don’t have enough time. If people can offer us connection and meaning, a place where we can be our best selves, then yes, we will seek that out. No, it probably doesn’t help us build a big profitable company, but it will help you make a difference to the community you’ve chosen to live in.
This interview, and others like it, can be found on the On Being Soundcloud page
Anthony Wilson 