This Is Marketing
Tags: #business #marketing #strategy #branding #customer experience #psychology
Authors: Seth Godin
Overview
This is Marketing is a practical and insightful guide to modern marketing, urging readers to move beyond outdated, manipulative tactics and embrace a more generous and impactful approach. It’s written for anyone seeking to make a difference – entrepreneurs, artists, teachers, activists, and leaders of all kinds. The core message is simple: marketing is the art of making change happen. It’s about understanding people, connecting with them on an emotional level, and creating something truly valuable that they are eager to embrace and share. Throughout the book, I challenge readers to rethink their assumptions about marketing, urging them to focus on building trust, creating tension that drives action, and serving the smallest viable market – the specific group of people most likely to become their passionate advocates. I explore the role of storytelling, semiotics, status, and price in shaping perceptions and driving behavior, offering practical advice on crafting compelling narratives, designing impactful experiences, and building thriving communities. This book encourages readers to see themselves as agents of change, empowering them to use their work to make a difference in the world. The central message is clear: marketing done right is about more than just selling products or services – it’s about making a positive impact on the culture and the lives of those you seek to serve.
Book Outline
1. Chapter 1: Not Mass, Not Spam, Not Shameful…
The best marketing isn’t about fleeting hype or manipulation, but about creating genuine change. It’s about making things better for the people you choose to serve, and building a culture around your work that invites people in. This kind of marketing leaves a lasting impact, changing not just individual lives but the world around us. We have an opportunity, even an obligation, to do marketing that we can be proud of – marketing that makes a difference.
Key concept: This is marketing: Marketing seeks more. More market share, more customers, more work. Marketing is driven by better. Better service, better community, better outcomes. Marketing creates culture. Status, affiliation, and people like us. Most of all, marketing is change. Change the culture, change your world. Marketers make change happen. Each of us is a marketer, and each of us has the ability to make more change than we imagined. Our opportunity and our obligation is to do marketing that we’re proud of.
2. Chapter 2: The Marketer Learns to See
Effective marketing is a process, not an event. It starts with creating something truly valuable, then understanding the specific people it’s for. Telling the right story to those people, spreading the word, and, most importantly, showing up consistently to build trust and deepen the connection are all crucial steps. Marketing is a long game, and it takes patience, generosity, and a commitment to making change happen.
Key concept: Marketing in five steps: The first step is to invent a thing worth making, with a story worth telling, and a contribution worth talking about. The second step is to design and build it in a way that a few people will particularly benefit from and care about. The third step is to tell a story that matches the built-in narrative and dreams of that tiny group of people, the smallest viable market. The fourth step is the one everyone gets excited about: spread the word. The last step is often overlooked: show up—regularly, consistently, and generously, for years and years—to organize and lead and build confidence in the change you seek to make. To earn permission to follow up and to earn enrollment to teach.
3. Chapter 3: Marketing Changes People Through Stories, Connections, and Experience
People don’t buy products or services – they buy feelings and transformations. Dig deeper to understand the emotional needs your work fulfills, not just the functional benefits it offers. What change do you create in people’s lives? What story are they telling themselves about your work? By tapping into these deeper motivations, you can make a real impact and create something that people truly value.
Key concept: People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill bit. They want a quarter-inch hole. …Actually, what they want is how they’ll feel once they see how uncluttered everything is, when they put their stuff on the shelf that went on the wall, now that there’s a quarter-inch hole.
4. Chapter 4: The Smallest Viable Market
Don’t fall into the trap of trying to reach everyone. Instead, focus on the smallest viable market – the specific group of people who are most likely to embrace your work and become your passionate advocates. By understanding their worldviews, desires, and needs, you can create something truly remarkable that resonates deeply with this core group and allows your work to spread outwards from there.
Key concept: The smallest viable market: What’s the minimum number of people you would need to influence to make it worth the effort?
5. Chapter 5: In Search of ‘Better’
Effective marketing requires empathy. You need to understand that the people you’re trying to reach don’t share your beliefs, knowledge, or desires. It’s not about projecting your own worldview but understanding theirs. Step into their shoes, see the world through their lens, and you’ll be able to connect with them in a way that’s authentic and meaningful.
Key concept: Empathy is at the heart of marketing: People don’t believe what you believe. They don’t know what you know. They don’t want what you want.
6. Chapter 6: Beyond Commodities
Don’t start with your product or service; start with the problem. What are the unmet needs and desires of the people you’re trying to reach? How can you make things better for them? By focusing on the problem, you can create something truly valuable that people are eager to embrace.
Key concept: Problem first: Effective marketers don’t begin with a solution, with the thing that makes them more clever than everyone else. Instead, we begin with a group we seek to serve, a problem they seek to solve, and a change they seek to make.
7. Chapter 7: The Canvas of Dreams and Desires
People don’t buy features and benefits, they buy feelings. They’re looking for belonging, connection, status, and transformation. Your job is to understand the emotional landscape of your market and create offerings that align with those desires. What are you truly selling? What change are you enabling in people’s lives?
Key concept: We sell feelings, status, and connection, not tasks or stuff.
8. Chapter 8: More of the Who: Seeking the Smallest Viable Market
Sustainable success in marketing doesn’t come from overnight miracles or viral sensations. It comes from focusing on your smallest viable market, building trust, and creating work that’s worth talking about. It’s about understanding the power of network effects and nurturing a community that wants to see you succeed and spread the word.
Key concept: “And then a miracle happens” - Here’s the truth about customer traction: a miracle isn’t going to happen. The old-school marketer’s dream revolves around transforming a product, this normal, average, ‘it’s fine’ product or service… the one that’s sitting there, with nothing much happening. Transform it into a hit.
9. Chapter 9: People Like Us Do Things Like This
People are driven by a deep desire to belong, to fit in with those they identify with. This social dynamic is at the heart of cultural change. To create change, you need to understand the norms and behaviors of the groups you’re trying to reach and show them how your work aligns with their identity and aspirations.
Key concept: People like us (do things like this) …For most of us, from the first day we are able to remember until the last day we breathe, our actions are primarily driven by one question: “Do people like me do things like this?
10. Chapter 10: Trust and Tension Create Forward Motion
People are creatures of habit. They follow established patterns and are resistant to change. To get someone’s attention, you need to either fit into their existing patterns or create a pattern interrupt – a jolt that disrupts their usual way of thinking and forces them to pay attention to your message. Understanding when to match and when to interrupt is crucial for getting your message heard.
Key concept: Pattern match/pattern interrupt - You’re going to do one or the other.
11. Chapter 11: Status, Dominance, and Affiliation
Status plays a huge role in human behavior, driving our choices and shaping our worldview. It’s not just about wealth or power, but about our perceived standing in social groups and how we see ourselves in relation to others. Understanding the dynamics of status – both affiliation and dominance – is essential for creating change. People want to belong, feel respected, and be seen. Tap into these desires to make your work resonate.
Key concept: Status lets us - Status is our position in the hierarchy. It’s also our perception of that position. Status protects us. Status helps us get what we want. Status gives us the leverage to make change happen. Status is a place to hide. Status can be a gift or a burden.
12. Chapter 12: A Better Business Plan
To understand your market, you need to understand why the people who don’t choose you are making a rational decision to do so. By putting aside your ego and embracing empathy, you can gain valuable insights into their worldview and create better offerings that meet their needs.
Key concept: “For people who want what you want (__) and believe what you believe (), your choice of __ is exactly correct.” Because it is.
13. Chapter 13: Semiotics, Symbols, and Vernacular
Symbols, stories, and design are powerful tools for communication. The words you choose, the fonts you use, the colors you pick – all these elements send signals that shape how people perceive your work. Think about the semiotics of your marketing – the way you communicate your brand promise through symbols and language. Make sure the signals you’re sending are aligned with the message you want to convey.
Key concept: Can you hear me now? - We communicate with symbols. The letters “C-A-R” aren’t an icon of a car, or a picture of a car. They’re a stand-in, a symbol that, if you know English, brings to mind a car.
14. Chapter 14: Treat Different People Differently
It’s not for everyone. Don’t waste time trying to reach everyone. Identify the neophiliacs – the early adopters, the innovators – in your market and focus your efforts on them. They are the ones who are most likely to embrace your work, spread the word, and help you reach a wider audience.
Key concept: Standard deviations: The percentages indicate what percentage of the population being measured is in each segment. For example, 34.1% of the population is within one standard deviation below the mean.
15. Chapter 15: Reaching the Right People
Be clear about your goals, your strategies, and your tactics. Your goal is the change you seek to make in the world. Your strategy is the overall approach you’ll take to achieve that goal. And your tactics are the specific actions you’ll take to execute your strategy. Don’t get bogged down in tactics; focus on the bigger picture and the change you’re trying to create.
Key concept: Goals, strategy, and tactics - A brief aside before we get into more tactics. Tactics are easy to understand because we can list them. You use a tactic or you don’t. Strategy is more amorphous. It’s the umbrella over your tactics, the work the tactics seek to support. And your goal is the thing you’ll be betting will happen if your strategy works.
16. Chapter 16: Price Is a Story
Price is a story. It tells people what to expect, who it’s for, and how it will make them feel. Don’t be afraid to charge what you’re worth, and don’t underestimate the power of scarcity and exclusivity. When you create something truly valuable and position it effectively, price becomes a reflection of its value, not a barrier to entry.
Key concept: “Cheap” is another way to say “scared.” - Unless you’ve found an extraordinary new way to deliver your service or product, racing to be the cheapest probably means that you’re not investing sufficiently in change.
17. Chapter 17: Permission and Remarkability in a Virtuous Cycle
Permission marketing is more important than ever. In a world overflowing with information and noise, earning permission to connect with people is crucial. Build trust by delivering value, being relevant, and respecting people’s attention. Focus on building long-term relationships, not short-term transactions. The best marketing doesn’t interrupt; it’s invited.
Key concept: Permission is anticipated, personal, and relevant
18. Chapter 18: Trust Is as Scarce as Attention
Trust is scarce. Building trust takes time, consistency, and genuine care. Focus on building authentic connections with your audience, be transparent in your actions, and deliver on your promises. In a world where trust is eroded, your ability to earn and maintain trust is a key differentiator.
Key concept: What’s fake? - The internet thrives on affiliation. At its core is the magic that comes from peer-to-peer connections.
19. Chapter 19: The Funnel
The marketing funnel is a powerful model for understanding how people become customers. Optimize your funnel by attracting the right people, clarifying your promise, simplifying the process, and providing ongoing support. Nurture relationships, build trust, and guide people toward the outcome they seek.
Key concept: You can fix your funnel: 1. You can make sure that the right people are attracted to it. 2. You can make sure that the promise that brought them in aligns with where you hope they will go. 3. You can remove steps so that fewer decisions are required. 4. You can support those you’re engaging with, reinforcing their dreams and ameliorating their fears as you go.
20. Chapter 20: Organizing and Leading a Tribe
Tribes are built on shared stories and a sense of belonging. To lead a tribe, you need to connect with people on an emotional level, share your own story, and show how your work aligns with their values and aspirations. It’s not about manipulation, it’s about creating a shared narrative that inspires action and change.
Key concept: Story of self. Story of us. Story of now.
21. Chapter 21: Some Case Studies Using the Method
Don’t wait for perfect. Ship your work. Get it out into the world, even if it’s not perfect. The act of shipping creates momentum, generates feedback, and allows you to iterate and improve. Perfection is the enemy of progress. Good enough is often good enough to start.
Key concept: It doesn’t have to be a feature film or a Pulitzer-winning play. In fact, the approach works best if it’s not a fully polished and complete creation.
22. Chapter 22: Marketing Works, and Now It’s Your Turn
Marketing is about more than just selling. It’s about making a positive impact on the world. Shift your focus from selling your product to serving your audience. What change are you seeking to create? How can you make things better for the people you care about? This shift in perspective will transform your work and your impact.
Key concept: Perhaps you’ve seen the shift - When you opened this book, you probably said, “I have a product and I need more people to buy it. I have a marketing problem.” By now, I hope that you see the industrialist/selfish nature of this statement. The purpose of our culture isn’t to enable capitalism, even capitalism that pays your bills. The purpose of capitalism is to build our culture.
23. Chapter 23: Marketing to the Most Important Person
Marketing is a powerful tool that can be used for good or for evil. The choice is yours. Choose to use your marketing skills to make a positive impact on the world, to solve problems, to connect people, and to make things better. Do work you’re proud of. The world needs your contribution.
Key concept: Is marketing evil? - If you spend time and money (with skill) you can tell a story that spreads, that influences people, that changes actions.
Essential Questions
1. What is the true purpose of marketing?
The core of this book is about redefining marketing as a force for positive change, not simply selling more stuff. It’s about understanding that people are driven by emotions, status, and a desire to belong. By focusing on making things better for a specific group of people, marketers can create genuine value and foster connections that drive sustainable growth. It’s not about hype or manipulation, but about empathy, generosity, and a commitment to making a difference.
2. Who should you focus your marketing efforts on?
The smallest viable market is the specific group of people who are most likely to embrace your work and become your passionate advocates. By focusing on serving this core group exceptionally well, you create a ripple effect that can lead to broader impact. It’s about choosing your people, understanding their worldview, and building something truly remarkable that resonates with their needs and aspirations.
3. How do you earn the attention and trust of your audience?
The best marketing doesn’t interrupt, it’s invited. It’s about earning permission to connect with people by providing them with something valuable and relevant. It’s about building trust over time, nurturing relationships, and creating a community that wants to hear from you. It’s about showing up consistently, delivering on your promises, and making a genuine effort to make things better.
4. What are people really buying when they buy your product or service?
People don’t buy products or services, they buy feelings and transformations. They want to feel connected, respected, and part of something bigger than themselves. They want to solve problems, achieve their goals, and become better versions of themselves. Your job as a marketer is to understand these deeper motivations and create offerings that align with them.
5. How can you use price as a marketing tool?
Price is not just a number, it’s a story. It communicates value, scarcity, and exclusivity. By understanding the psychology of pricing, you can position your offering effectively and charge what you’re worth. Don’t be afraid to charge a premium for something that delivers exceptional value and creates a meaningful change in people’s lives.
Key Takeaways
1. Focus on the Smallest Viable Market
Godin argues that successful marketing is driven by understanding and serving a specific group exceptionally well. This allows you to craft messages that resonate deeply, address their anxieties and aspirations, and foster a strong sense of belonging and shared purpose. By focusing your energy on this core group, you create a ripple effect that can lead to broader cultural change.
Practical Application:
A non-profit working to combat climate change could shift its messaging from broad, guilt-inducing statistics to focus on a specific group, like parents concerned about their children’s future. By telling stories about how climate change directly impacts their kids’ health and well-being, the organization can create a more personal and urgent call to action, building a dedicated community around a shared concern.
2. Sell Transformations, Not Transactions
Godin emphasizes that people buy feelings and transformations, not products or services. He encourages marketers to understand the emotional needs their work fulfills – belonging, connection, status, peace of mind – and build their marketing around those desires. What change are you enabling in people’s lives?
Practical Application:
Instead of focusing on features or price comparisons, a software company could highlight the transformative feeling of control and efficiency users experience with their product. They could showcase stories of customers who achieved specific goals or overcame challenges thanks to the software, creating an emotional connection that resonates more deeply than technical specs.
3. Make It Better for Your Users, Not Just Better
Godin uses the example of Google’s early success to illustrate this point. Google was not necessarily better than competitors in terms of search results or speed, but it was ‘better’ because it didn’t make users feel stupid. By focusing on the emotional experience of using the product, Google built trust and won over users.
Practical Application:
An AI product engineer could prioritize building a simple, user-friendly interface that instills confidence and clarity, even if it means sacrificing some advanced features initially. By focusing on the user’s emotional experience, the product can build trust and encourage adoption, allowing for more complex features to be introduced later.
4. Combine Free and Expensive
Godin explains that ‘free’ is not simply a lower price, it’s a whole different category that scales to infinity. Free ideas spread faster and build trust, creating a foundation for a sustainable business model where people are willing to pay for the experience and connection you offer.
Practical Application:
An online education platform could offer free introductory content that is easily shareable and valuable, attracting a wide audience. Then, they could create premium, paid courses that provide deeper learning and community interaction, specifically designed for those who resonate with the free content and are eager to go further.
5. Don’t Chase the Hit, Build a Movement
Godin cautions against chasing the ‘hit’ and instead encourages building a movement by starting with a small, dedicated group who care deeply about the problem you’re solving. Build trust, earn permission, and create a ‘tribe’ that wants to see you succeed and spread the word.
Practical Application:
An AI startup could launch its product at a niche conference focused on a specific problem the AI solves. This allows them to engage directly with early adopters, get valuable feedback, and build excitement within a community that is already invested in the problem space. This focused approach is more likely to generate word of mouth and create momentum than a generic, mass-market launch.
Suggested Deep Dive
Chapter: Chapter 4: The Smallest Viable Market
For AI product engineers, understanding the concept of the ‘Smallest Viable Market’ is crucial for developing focused and effective marketing strategies. This chapter provides a practical framework for identifying and understanding the specific group of people who are most likely to benefit from and adopt your AI-powered product.
Memorable Quotes
Chapter 1: Not Mass, Not Spam, Not Shameful…. 9
Marketing is the generous act of helping someone solve a problem. Their problem.
Chapter 3: Marketing Changes People Through Stories, Connections, and Experience. 29
“People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill bit. They want to feel safe and respected.” Bingo.
Chapter 4: The Smallest Viable Market. 37
The smallest viable market is the focus that, ironically and delightfully, leads to your growth.
Chapter 5: In Search of ‘Better’. 45
Empathy is at the heart of marketing: People don’t believe what you believe. They don’t know what you know. They don’t want what you want.
Chapter 15: Reaching the Right People. 149
Direct marketing is action oriented. And it is measured. Brand marketing is culturally oriented. And it can’t be measured.
Comparative Analysis
This Is Marketing stands out for its emphasis on empathy and generosity as core marketing principles, a significant departure from the more transactional and data-driven approaches championed by authors like Philip Kotler in classics like Marketing Management. While Godin acknowledges the importance of data and measurement, especially in direct marketing, he argues that lasting success comes from understanding people, building trust, and creating genuine value for a specific audience. This aligns with the customer-centricity advocated by Steve Blank in The Four Steps to the Epiphany, but Godin goes further by emphasizing the importance of cultural change and building movements around shared beliefs and aspirations, a concept also explored by Douglas Atkin in The Culting of Brands. Unlike the more aggressive and manipulative tactics outlined by Al Ries and Jack Trout in Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, Godin urges marketers to focus on making things better, not just being different, a perspective shared by authors like Shawn Askinosie in Meaningful Work.
Reflection
This Is Marketing is a valuable read for anyone seeking to make a difference, especially in the rapidly evolving landscape of technology and AI. It challenges traditional marketing paradigms, urging a more human-centered and empathetic approach that focuses on building trust and creating genuine value. However, it’s important to acknowledge that Godin’s focus on storytelling and emotion can sometimes overshadow the importance of data and analytics in making informed marketing decisions. While he acknowledges the power of measurement in direct marketing, his dismissal of brand marketing measurement seems impractical in today’s data-driven world. It’s crucial to find a balance between data-driven insights and the art of connecting with people on an emotional level. Overall, the book provides a valuable framework for thinking about marketing in a more purposeful and impactful way, particularly relevant in the age of AI where ethical considerations and building trust are paramount.
Flashcards
What is a smallest viable market?
The smallest group of people you can sustainably serve and delight, creating a ripple effect for growth.
What does it mean to ‘position’ your work?
Positioning is the act of deliberately choosing how you want your work and your offering to be perceived by a specific group of people. You get what you choose.
What is the role of ‘tension’ in marketing?
People follow patterns, and interrupting those patterns can be a powerful way to get attention. But tension must be released with forward motion, and the tension must be aligned with the change you seek to create.
What is the difference between status based on ‘affiliation’ and status based on ‘dominion’?
Affiliation is a horizontal type of status. It comes from a sense of belonging, community, and being in sync with others. Dominion, on the other hand, is a vertical type of status, often based on power, control, and winning.
What is direct marketing?
Marketing that focuses on direct, measurable actions like clicks, sales, and conversions. It’s about getting the phone to ring.
What is brand marketing?
Marketing that shapes cultural perceptions and builds long-term brand equity. It’s about creating magic and telling stories that resonate.
What is the difference between earned media, owned media, and paid media?
Earned media is attention you don’t pay for. Owned media is attention you control, like your website or email list. Paid media is advertising.
What is the power of saying ‘It’s not for you?’
It’s the freedom to ignore the critics who don’t get the joke, the privilege of polishing your story for those that most need to hear it. This is where you will find work that you can be proud of.
What do people truly want from your product or service?
People don’t buy what you do, they buy what it does for them. They want the way it will make them feel.