It’s All About Respect

Respect for the consumer should play a part in your marketing. You do respect your customers, don’t you? Do you study them, learn about their likes and dislikes, their hobbies, their interests? I hope you do. And I also hope that after all of that, you don’t marginalize them and snicker at them behind their back.

I’ve seen a few too many instances recently where consumers are more of a means to an end than a reason for marketing to exist. Are you happy to serve your customers? Do you realize that without them you have nothing? Do you show them respect, or do you roll your eyes at them when you think they aren’t looking?

That disdain you wear? It’s showing. And your customers are not stupid. They see it. And if they don’t see it now, they will. Because when you have a patent lack of respect for those you are supposed to be serving, you’ll eventually slip up. Your customers will see it. And they will most likely take you to task for it.

What I don’t understand is the smugness. Do (some) marketers really feel that they are better than the people they are supposed to be connecting with?

So you don’t like the city your client resides in, but you must visit it anyway. And you know (or should know) that the client has a fierce loyalty toward that city. Should you risk insulting them, or would it be better not to say anything at all?

Or if you market to moms, maybe it would be better if you left your disdain for their rugrat wrangling at the door. Because, you know, moms don’t know how to do anything else except care for their children. Heaven forbid they have careers (or former careers), educations, and opinions on something besides motherhood.

There are a lot of choices out there. Consumers are inundated with marketing and choices for thousands of products. If you truly show that you know your audience, respect their choices and abilities, and try to help them because you want to – not because you have to – I think you’ll have a much better chance than someone who cares more about themselves than the client.

What do you think? Do you think good marketing comes from respecting consumers? Does it matter to you? Should it?

image: cieleke on sxc.hu