Manipulative Marketing

It's clear when people hear the word "marketing" they think of a manically curated scheme trying to coerce money out of people. I'm here to say, that marketing is the exact opposite. Marketing professionals spend all their waking hours deciding what exact wording and imagery to use to show authenticity, not hide intention. We know that without the operational backing, the marketing means nothing. The walk is more important than the talk, which is why honest marketing simply highlights what's already being done and shows some "self-awareness". To both signal new products/ services to a customer base, and also maintain the authentic image of the entity. Customer's know we need their engagement, and financial buy-in; but we as the marketing team know the customer has needs too. Good marketing breaks the fourth wall and admits the obvious, and then shows a public commitment to the brand in a passive, personalized way.

In today's marketing you need to be transparent and willing to bring someone into your "inner table". People want to feel like they get the inside joke, so as a business we need to have inside jokes with them! So much of Marketing is how you keep people around. Being authentic and using the brand voice you've so carefully crafted is the best way to express your commitment passively. The Wendy's TikTok account has nothing to promote when they comment under a meme about their "Bukkake ice cream" product. Their presence in that atmosphere is organic and genuinely funny. Hence using their brand to be authentically relatable and interactive breaks the fourth wall and creates a genuine moment of marketing.