Hi Reader,
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If you're reading this now, we're in the midst of "Black Friday Season", and marketing seems to be on the minds of even those outside the industry.

We are all exposed to the seemingly infinite sales messages, and advertisements aiming to get our attention.

Another sale we can't miss.

"The best deal of the year, buy this before the holiday season ends!"

What used to start after Thanksgiving is now for many companies a month long sales push.

Transforming from a small Black Friday Sale into a whole Black Friday Month.

I've noticed this shift myself, even in only about a half decade advertising.

For years now, I've dreaded this time of year as it also coincides with high pressure and long hours.

Unfortunately, this is the type of behavior most think of when they hear the words marketing or advertising.

These in your face, price chopping sales seem to be what one is reminded of when hearing these terms.

As a marketer myself, I still associate the term with someone dirty, sleazy, or not fully honest.

But at the same time, I've come to realize how essential marketing is for a business.

We tend to think of it as a separate function, but marketing is just as much a part of business as the products and ideas themselves.

The reality is we live in a crowded marketplace, there are likely competitors already in your niche.

• If you are opening a store there is likely another store close by that serves a similar purpose.
• If you offer a service there's more than likely other practitioners in your area.

And if you run an online business there are almost certainly businesses offering exactly what you offer and likely ones that offer it cheaper.

The only ways to stand out, to separate yourself from the competitors are innovation, quality of service, and marketing.

And these blend together much more than one would think.

Ideas are easy to come by, execution is not as simple.

In today's age, the ability to hold attention is the lifeblood of many businesses and that's marketing.

Anyway, I'll be going over these dynamics in subsequent newsletters.

What is really on my mind today is the necessity of marketing in saving the world.

That may sound a little ridiculous, and some may call me bias as I am a marketer myself, but now more than ever we need to educate and spread the word for worthy causes.

For the past few years, I've been reading a lot about systems theory and the Metacrisis that we face such as the destruction of our natural environment.

Given the state of the technology we have right now, you'd think we would be able to address these issues.

But instead they seem to be largely ignored by both those in power and the population as a whole.

I view this partly as a marketing challenge. A challenge of bringing awareness of these issues to the people, in a way that they are inspired to act.

Currently, we are a destructive culture and an incredibly wasteful one. If we think about the tons of trash that are produced each day and how so much of this is polluted into the natural world, we do not have to stretch our mind far to come to this conclusion.

But yet, we seem to be buying and consuming more than ever. Something has to give.

Ironically, it may be marketing, a product of this consumerist culture, that stands the best chance at addressing this issue.

At it's core, what we need is to educate and change the behavior of the culture at scale.

If we look at behavior change, this is a psychological issue, at scale this becomes a marketing problem.

• What if conservation was marketed at the same level as McDonalds?
• What if every billboard we saw walking down the city was promoting a product that helped the environment in some way?
• What if instead of seeing commercials for Big Macs we saw commercials for broccoli and grass fed beef?

We've gone decades with our subconscious being bombarded with messages that are selling us unhealthy food, sugary drinks, and propaganda.

Yet it does not have to stay this way. Marketing does not have to be synonymous with jingles for fast food restaurants.

Instead, we can spread the message of how to save the world.

Ideally, there would be systems in place that aren't fighting us at every step.

Why should our food options be so unhealthy?

Why does it seem all the standard options in American life are trying to fatten us, poison us, or harm our natural ecosystems?

But if this change does happen, it won't happen right away.

We will need a gradual shift from the current status quo to a more holistic and sustainable environment.

Until then, we will need to know what companies are fighting for our natural world.

We will need to know what companies are taking genuine care in selecting the best ingredients for their food products.

We will need to learn new ways of thinking and have our minds opened up to new worldviews.

All of this will require marketing efforts from businesses owners running a conscious business.

And currently, they will be competing directly with those fast food companies aiming to buy the same ad space.

It won't be an easy feat, but it's one of the ways we can help lift others out of this mess.
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Best,
Jim