Seth Godin asked:

Is marketing the art of tricking people into buying stuff they don’t need?

Or is it about spreading ideas that people fall in love with?

Here’s my take: I think in a pure world, marketing is a part of basic economy. In basic economy you have a person with a want, need, or desire. You have another person who is a provider of products and/or services to fulfill wants, needs, and desires. Sometimes these two people meet in order to have an agreed exchange. Sometimes you need a third person to connect these two people. That connecter is the marketer.

In this basic economy, the marketer should be “working for” both people. He should be letting the providers know of the desires. He should also be letting the consumers know what new products and services are out there.

Over time I think the marketer has spent most of his time working for the producers, not the consumers. And that’s why many people think marketing is a dirty word.

What is obvious to me (and maybe not to others) is that the spreading of the Gospel is built upon pure marketing principles. God has offered life to the people of the world and He has called all who follow Him to communicate that message to all who will listen.