Can marketing communications make the world a better place?

iLink therefore iAm? The purpose of work.

I recently told a school principal that I did non-profit marketing communications. He laughed and asked if they pay me. I reminded him that HE works for a non-profit as well. It was clear he thought his position was creating important change. Mine? Not so much.

Some days I wonder if I'm doing the right thing as I use my skills in non-profit MarCom. Is my life having the impact that I wish to make?


This issue of impact came up again I with a colleague this week about what I do and how people have come to hate "marketing". Even a whiff of it, and they're turned off. And if there's one thing that bothers me, it's being hated -- I consider it being "misunderstood". Surely, no one would hate me (or what I do) if they really knew me (or it).

I worked hard in school, in my personal and volunteer life because I believe that I will do something important for the world. And I'd better be prepared to do that. The best way to give back is to be really good at what I do -- to build on my natural talents and utilize them to best support what needs supporting. But I was having doubts. Was I making the world a better place or just doing a job?

This article ("How can marketing change the world?") helped me remember why I do what I do. And inspired me to do it better because I CAN make a difference.

It's when I feel like I'm "just selling stuff" that I feel the worst about my day-to-day. And certainly, that's when I'm doing it badly. Instead, it's important to remember that no good deed should go unnoticed, uncelebrated, but it would if not for the story tellers. To make good decisions, it's essential that the public be well-informed -- that's democracy. And our ability to influence our world through political means is often exceeded by the influence we exert through consumer choices.

Values + Shared Action = Shared Profit (financial & social).

Thanks to those marketers and communicators who shared. Who reminded me that using my talents for good is the only way to live.