Why Many Good People Despise Marketing
and how we can turn it into a force for good

by Pam Saxon | January 8, 2024

Long ago, before the 19th century, advertising wasn’t a priority for businesses. Commerce was localized, with customers visiting specific artisans for their needs. Businesses typically bore the name of their proprietors, and their name was their brand. Everyone knew their local tradespeople, from the village shoemaker to the healer.

Throughout history, advertising and marketing have undergone various shifts, from assembly lines to snake oil salesmen to the digital age. Yet, a common thread persists: manipulation. But is manipulation truly necessary for selling products and services? It’s time for a paradigm shift, but to make this change, we must first delve into the psychology underpinning different advertising eras.

The Industrial Revolution (Production Era)

During the Industrial Revolution spanning from the 1860s to the 1920s, a revolutionary shift occurred in the production of goods. Advancements in technology facilitated mass production on an unprecedented scale. Factories emerged as hubs of efficiency, churning out goods in greater qualities than ever before. This era of mass production enabled businesses to reach a broader audience and drive down prices, enhancing affordability. Many enterprises capitalized on reduced production costs, bolstering their profits while simultaneously making goods more accessible to consumers. Consequently, the Industrial Revolution served as a pivotal period in the evolution of marketing, laying the foundation for modern mass-marketing techniques. Central to this era was the notion that “A good product sells itself.”

The Rattlesnake King

One of the most infamous salesmen of this era was Clark Stanley, known as the “Rattlesnake King.” Before the 1906 Pure Drug and Food Act passed, Stanley patented his snake oil liniment, which would ultimately make him rich. According to Erica Furgiuele in her May 31, 2022 article entitled The story of Clark Stanley, the original snake oil salesman, the bottle read:

Good for man and beast. The most remarkable curative discovery ever made in any age or country. A liniment that penetrates muscle, membrane, and tissue to the very bone itself, and banishes pain with a power that has astonished and convinced two generations of intelligent people.

In 1917, federal regulators seized and scrutinized Clark Stanley’s product, revealing a mixture of mineral oil, animal fat believed to come from cows, red pepper, and turpentine. Turpentine??? By that time, he had sold his product to hundreds, if not thousands, for 24 years.

It’s no wonder the snake-oil salesman comes to mind when we think of sleazy marketing.

The Sales Era

Next came the Sales Era (1920s–1940s), a time when companies fiercely competed for visibility with the primary goal of selling as much as possible. Customer experience and quality often became afterthoughts. Businesses employed eye-catching promotions, radio commercials and door-to-door sales tactics.

Advertising executives enlisted leading psychologists to devise methods of emotional manipulation to drive consumer purchases. John Watson, for example, advised marketers to “…tell him [sic] something that will tie him up with fear, something that will stir up a mild rage, that will call out an affectionate or love response, or strike a deep psychological or habit need.”

Lies, lies, lies

Congress did not pass The Truth in Advertising Act  until 2014, and even then, the lies have persisted.  People have died, and continue to die, because of untruths and lack of transparency. We all watched as the tobacco industry used “fake science”  to claim that cigarette smoking did not cause cancer. The oil industry continues similar tactics, disputing the overwhelming scientific evidence linking carbon emissions to climate change.

Despite Congress passing the Truth in Advertising Act, companies continue to deceive consumers.

It’s no wonder that people like you and I are skeptical and even fearful of marketing. It has truly become a matter of life and death.

As purposeful, mission-centered business owners you understand that marketing is a must.

Without it, how will those who need your product or service ever find you? However, you don’t want to instill fear or loathing in your marketing efforts to get attention. This creates a real conundrum: promote your goods and grapple with ethics, or refrain and risk experiencing feast-or-famine periods.

Some argue that those who avoid marketing lack maturity. I wholeheartedly disagree; I believe the opposite. Emotionally mature individuals refrain from manipulative tactics, perceiving marketing as manipulation and vowing never to engage in such practices. Unfortunately, this often leads to a failure to market, ultimately resulting in business failure.

What if there were another way?

There is another way — a better way. Yes, we must all show up. It’s critical to face this fact, but it can be done in ways that feel good, that resonate with our core values, and most importantly, do no harm.

Heart-centered marketing approaches, grounded in integrity, allow us to operate from a strong center with confidence.

Human-Centered Business Practices

The approach I use for branding, marketing and design is called “Human-Centered” and it is based on empathy and compassion. This philosophy requires tuning in to recognize the suffering and desires of others and actively providing caring solution that cause no harm.

Psychology teaches that when people feel understood, valued and seen, they are more likely to feel a sense of safety. These signals, known as “social safety cues,” encourage individuals to interact with businesses, ultimately transforming them into loyal customers and advocates. Stephen Porges, author of The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-Regulation, says, “Insofar as we can give ourselves and others social safety cues, we can become more attuned to our internal state, ‘more authentic.’ When we feel more authentic, we can become more safely vulnerable and connect with others.” Robin Stern, associate director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, once told The Washington Post: “When someone feels seen and heard by you, they begin to trust you.”

Human-centered marketing empowers brands to understand their ideal customers on a profound emotional level, communicate with them empathetically, and customize their products and interactions to align with their needs and expectations.

Influence is not the same as manipulation

It is empowering to present your business authentically and transparently in the marketplace. In this way, you can ultimately influence others without resorting to manipulation. Those who resonate with you will respond to your sincerity and, after all, those are the people you want to work with, anyway.

Would you like to learn to market in this way?

I guide clients through this process in my Human-Centered Brand Strategy workshops . If you are a mission-centered business owner or entrepreneur and this approach resonates with you, reach out to me with questions and for a conversation. Discover how to create influence in a genuine, transparent way. There’s nothing better than knowing your products or services can help others and sharing that without feeling the need to apologize.

Concluding Thoughts

I believe that adopting a Human-Centered approach can help us ethically navigate the challenges and choices in marketing and the corporate world. By doing so, we stand firmly in integrity and peace, knowing our decisions do no harm to ourselves or others. We can relax, confident that we have approached our work with honesty, openness, and kindness, aiming to help those who will benefit most from our products or services achieve the best results. In the end, this approach is best for everyone involved.