Avoiding the Most Common Marketing Delusions, Part 1

In the competitive world of business, marketing plays a crucial role in driving brand awareness, generating leads, and ultimately, achieving success. However, many business owners and leaders fall prey to “marketing delusions”.  These delusions often lead to wasted resources, ineffective campaigns, and missed opportunities for growth.  As 2023 draws to a close and leadership teams plan their sales and marketing efforts for 2024, it is important to understand what marketing delusions are, what causes them, and how to not fall prey to them.  

First, let’s define what a marketing delusion is and what contributes to the prevalence of them.  A marketing delusion is a harmful misconception about the nature and effectiveness of a marketing strategy, customer opinion about a product or service, public perception of a brand, and/or what is really driving buying decisions.  Some of these delusions are spurred by false impressions or misunderstandings.  Some arise from mistaken impressions.  And some are based on myths or pure fantasy.  So what causes these types of ‘blind spots’?  There are several factors that contribute to the prevalence of marketing delusions.

1. Lack of Marketing Knowledge.  Business owners and company leaders often lack the formal education or experience necessary to make informed marketing decisions.  Typically, they are experts in their field but not in marketing.  This makes them vulnerable to misinformation, myths and hype. 
2. Confirmation Bias.  In general, people tend to seek information that reinforces their existing beliefs.  They ignore evidence that contradicts their assumptions.  In essence, they drink their own Kool-Aid.  This is particularly true of business leaders.  Surrounded by “yes-men”, tunnel vision can (and often does) develop in any aspect of business – from customer service to quality control — not just sales and marketing.  But in sales and marketing, Confirmation Bias can have an outsized impact on the bottom line.
3. FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).  The pressure to keep up with the latest trends and technologies can cause business leaders to adopt fads and embrace hype without considering its true value.
4. Charismatic Influencers.  Persuasive marketing gurus and consultants often promote quick fixes and magic solutions, captivating leaders who are desperate for results. 
5. Lack of Measurement and Accountability.  Without proper measurement tools and analysis of past marketing efforts, it can be difficult to determine the effectiveness of new proposed marketing efforts, perpetuating misconceptions about what works and what doesn’t.  In this situation, the slickest, loudest or most persuasive voices win.

With the explosion of new tools providing more ways to test strategies and measure their effectiveness, it’s increasingly clear that marketing delusions abound.  Here are some of the most common marketing delusions and the reality or truth that dispels them.

Top Marketing Delusions vs. Reality

Delusion #1: “If I build it, they will come.” Reality: Building a website or social media presence is not enough. A proactive strategy is needed to attract and engage the target audience.

Case in point:  Casper, the online mattress company, recognized this delusion. They invested heavily in content marketing, creating informative and engaging blog posts and videos that addressed common sleep problems and concerns. This approach attracted a large following and established Casper as a trusted authority in the sleep industry.

Delusion #2: “All I need is a big marketing budget to succeed.”  Reality: Smart marketing is about strategic planning and execution, not just throwing money at the problem.

Case in point:  Mailchimp, the email marketing platform, started with a shoestring budget and focused on building a loyal user base through organic growth and word-of-mouth marketing. The company was founded in 2001 by Ben Chestnut and Dan Kurzius using no outside funding.  They strategically targeted small businesses and provided excellent customer service, which fueled their success.  In 2021, Mailchimp sold to Intuit for $12 Billion in cash and stocks.

Delusion #3: “Social media marketing is all I need to succeed.”  Reality: Not all social media platforms are created equal.  And not all social media reporting is real.  According to Bob Hoffman in Advertising for Skeptics, “By most measures only about 50% of traffic on the web is human. The scale of the fraud is jaw-dropping. The industry continues to waste marketing budgets on what is essentially organized crime.”  So, not only is it imperative to choose platforms where the target audience is active and creates valuable content tailored to their interests, it is critically important to understand that the data generated by advertising on those platforms cannot be fully trusted.  Therefore, spending on advertising must be done judiciously and examined carefully for effectiveness.

Case in point:  GoPro, the action camera company, recognized this delusion and decided not to be present on every social media platform. They focused their efforts on platforms like Instagram and YouTube, where their target audience of adventure enthusiasts actively shared their experiences.  Today, GoPro’s core social media channels are still Instagram and YouTube, but they’ve added Facebook and TikTok, where it creates short, attention-grabbing videos that showcase the creativity and versatility of its cameras.

Delusion #4: “More content is always better.”  Reality:  Sometimes less is more.  Quality content that resonates with your target audience is far more valuable than a constant barrage of irrelevant information.

Case in point:  Consider Buffer, the social media management platform.  If any company might be inclined to create tons of content, it would be a company that offers social media management.  But Buffer is focused on creating high-quality, actionable content in the form of blog posts, ebooks, and webinars. This content helped them establish themselves as thought leaders in the social media marketing space and attracted a loyal audience.  In this case, it makes sense to do what the experts are doing.

Delusion #5: “Influencer marketing can work for any company and is a guaranteed win.”  Reality: Influencer marketing can be effective, but only when you choose the right influencers and measure the results carefully.  There needs to be synergy and alignment between the influencer and the product or service being promoted.

Case in point: Gymshark, the British fitness apparel brand, opted to hire micro-influencers who were authentically passionate about their brand and resonated with their target audience rather than go all in with big-name influencers who might be less genuine and zealous about Gymshark. Founder Ben Francis forged strategic partnerships with a few fitness YouTubers, Nikki Blackketter and Lex Griffin. They agreed to exclusively wear Gymshark apparel in their videos, giving the brand access to an audience of fitness enthusiasts.  This approach resulted in a highly-engaged community and generated a surge of brand awareness. They grew to a £100M business in 7 years with micro-influencers!

Delusion #6: “Automation is the key to marketing success.”  Reality: Automation can streamline certain tasks, but it cannot replace the human touch and creativity needed for effective marketing.

Case in point:  Airbnb recognized this delusion and built their marketing strategy around human connection and storytelling. They encouraged hosts to share their personal stories and created an online community where guests could connect with each other. This approach fostered a sense of belonging and trust, which contributed to Airbnb’s rapid growth.

Delusion #7: “Branding is just about logos and colors.”  This delusion goes hand in hand with “Your slogan or tagline is your brand.”  Reality: Branding encompasses everything a customer experiences with your company, from brand messaging and customer service to product quality and brand values.  And your brand is really determined by what people say about the company when you’re not around.

Case in point:  The most obvious example of a company that exemplifies how brand is much more than the company logo and tagline is Patagonia, the outdoor apparel company.  Patagonia built a strong brand that aligns its marketing efforts with its core values of environmentalism and activism. They use their platform to promote sustainability and social justice, which resonates with their target audience and strengthens their brand image.  Patagonia’s customers are raving fans, but many of them might be hard pressed to identify Patagonia’s logo.  And those customers surely cannot quote Patagonia’s tagline because they don’t have a tagline.  Instead, Patagonia has a consumer-facing purpose statement that says: “We’re in business to save our home planet.”

These seven delusions are just the tip of the iceberg of fallacies and misconceptions that bleed into every aspect of marketing today.  Next week, we’ll look at some of the more insidious and harmful delusions fooling even the smartest of business leaders.  Stay tuned.

Quote of the Week

“The idea that consumers want to interact with brand content is the grand delusion of the social media set. They think because athletes, movie stars, and pop singers have millions of followers, people are interested in engaging with pencil, mayonnaise and paper towel sellers.”
Bob Hoffman, Advertising for Skeptics

© 2023, Keren Peters-Atkinson. All rights reserved.

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