10 THINGS PEOPLE ABSOLUTELY HATE ABOUT MARKETING
03 April 2024
Written by Omneya Nabil
Working in marketing is great and all—sometimes even fulfilling. But the marketing profession isn’t always rainbows and sunshine.
Sometimes your marketing efforts can leave your audience feeling frustrated, annoyed, or downright angry.
Here are 10 things people absolutely hate about marketing (and how we can fix them).
1. Intrusive ads
You know that feeling when you’re trying to enjoy some content only to be attacked with ads that follow you everywhere you go? It’s invasive and can feel like a constant intrusion into your personal space. The solution? We need better content and less invasions.
2. Misleading tactics
Nothing kills a relationship with a brand faster than feeling deceived by misleading marketing tactics. We need to be more transparent and honest across every single message, campaign, and initiative.
3. Privacy concerns
With the amount of personal data collected for targeted advertising, it’s no wonder people feel uneasy about their privacy (and sceptical about brands). We must respect data privacy and be transparent about how data is used.
4. Confusing messaging
A lot of the content we see today is cluttered and confusing. The result? It doesn’t even register with people. We must focus on providing clear, concise messages that break through the noise and connect with our audience.
5. Aggressive selling
Nobody likes feeling pressured into making a purchase. Instead of focusing on closing the deal, let’s prioritise building genuine relationships and understanding our customers’ needs.
6. Lack of transparency
Transparency is crucial to establishing trust in any practice, especially in marketing. However, some marketing practices fail to meet this standard. We must eliminate hidden fees, undisclosed sponsorships, and other shady marketing practices.
7. Unsolicited communication
Cold calls, spam emails, you name it—unsolicited communication will definitely annoy your potential customers. Let’s focus on earning attention through valuable content and meaningful interactions.
8. Inauthentic branding
I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to be genuine. If your brand is not authentic, you risk alienating your audience and damaging your reputation. Let’s get real.
9. Insensitive campaigns
Some marketing campaigns can offend or alienate certain groups and do more harm than good. Let’s try to be inclusive, empathetic, and culturally sensitive in our messaging.
10. Excessive consumerism
Marketing that promotes consumerism and materialism can make your audience feel inadequate (and ultimately unhappy). Let’s focus on promoting how our products add real value rather than being part of the consumption cycle.
What are your thoughts? To join the conversation, head over to the original post on LinkedIn.