Are you a marketer or a missionary?
- Tue, March 29 2011
- Filed under: Marketing essentials
Cartoon by Dave Walker of CartoonChurch
Marketers identify people’s values and tie their cause (or product) to those values.
Missionaries identify people’s values and try to change them.
It’s a heck of a lot easier to be a marketer than a missionary.
That’s because people want to preserve their mental framework and the sense of self and autonomy it provides, so they interpret information according to that framework. If information doesn’t fit within it, they ignore the information or assume the source of the information is crazy or can’t be trusted. Or, if the new information comes from someone they trust, they may adjust their beliefs and integrate them into their existing set of values. But the underlying values don’t change. Watch a political debate with friends who are on opposite sides of the spectrum and you’ll see what I mean.
Anything we communicate will get twisted according to the mind it enters. Our ideology is simply not as powerful as people’s mental machinations. As marketers, we have to accept people for who they are and work within the framework they have. Rather than trying to change who people are, focus on changing what they do. Give them a new way to get what they already want.
That’s the art of influence - which is a far faster way to change the world.
Comments
Thanks for the laugh. My office mate came over to see what all the laughing was about! I inserted my non-profit’s name instead of the church in my head and found it hilarious.
Nice point, Katya. I’m really enjoying your posts.
I love how you spelled it out with such a clear analogy, and you’re right, it’s totally “the art of influence.” I think this is why some of the hot issues like abortion and same-sex marriage will continue to be debated forever….