How can you make Intent Marketing work?

Most of us try to leave the world in a slightly better state than we found it. If you work in marketing, it's likely that you've given intent marketing some thought. How can you link your company's marketing to ESG goals like equality, sustainability, or other key societal values?

While these types of approaches are probably well-intentioned, they appear to have little impact on actual perception. The main issue is that people do not believe in or experience your mission. As a result, buzzwords like "sustainability," "purpose," and "authenticity" are now at the top of the marketing BS detector.

Marketing B.S. detector by Tom Fishburne

Marketing practitioners are liars, the elephant in the room.

That isn't always the case in my experience. But, if it was said by Seth Godin, it might be true, right? In addition, according to a recent study, advertising executives are the least trusted profession, trailing only politicians. Nonetheless, there is still work to be done in order to prevent that from becoming our reality.

The truth is that in today's culture, trust and truth are on the decline. This betrayal of trust and truth could have serious ramifications. As wonderfully depicted in the Netflix film 'Don't Look Up.' By the same filmmaker as 'Succession,' Adam McKay. Another excellent reflection on how trust and truth are on the wane, while skepticism and differing viewpoints are on the rise. Instead of being a part of the problem, marketing should be a part of the solution.

The message is the experience.

So, what is the best course of action? We need to bring marketing back to life (BMBTL). The message is now the experience, rather than the vehicle. Yes, your ads and promotion are involved. But perhaps even more so: your operational team's delivery emails, your financial team's invoicing, your call center's responsiveness, and how you interact with your own staff. They are the actual voice that translates your company's message to your customers in a genuine, real way.

There are several possibilities to explore further:

i. Modernize storytelling: make it scalable and aligned across all stakeholders in your firm.

ii. Provide unambiguous value exchanges for engagement, consent, and data: customers are clever; they understand what you want and how much you value them. Let us show them respect. This is about respecting your consumers' time and intelligence, not just their privacy.

iii. Regain control of client data, decentralize intelligence, and reduce reliance on attention merchants: true connection can only happen on your terms. Not if a third party stands in the way and tries to dictate the terms and manner of communication. To reclaim control, you must improve consumer intelligence in a single location while also decentralizing intelligence on a need-to-know basis.

If you can fix these three issues, you'll be able to create an experience that truly reflects your message. Then you can consider how that aligns with the mission statement your organization is striving to achieve.

Keep an eye on this blog for more solutions to your digital marketing difficulties as well as current marketing news; I will attempt to keep it authentic in order to appreciate your attention.