What Marketing Really Is And Why Engineers Get It Wrong

In episode 163 of Digital Marketing from the Coalface, we cut through the online nonsense to explore what marketing actually is, and what it isn't. Fed up with self-proclaimed LinkedIn "gurus" making up their own definitions, we break down the fundamentals to prove that marketing is a strategic process, not just the "colouring in department".   So buckle up! In this episode, we cover the official definition and an explanation of the "Marketing Mix" (the 4 Ps: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion). Discover why advertising, PR, and branding are actually just subsets of the "promotion" piece of the puzzle and not whatever rubbish you are reading on LinkedIn. We also question why companies run by engineers often get marketing completely back to front by building a clever product first and trying to force it onto an audience, rather than listening to the marketplace to identify a gap. We also share real-world examples of marketing in action, from a local window cleaner who perfectly tapped into high market demand, to the recent struggles, closures, and brand tarnishing of major Scottish companies. As usual, we share AI industry updates! We take a quick look at the latest AI news, including ChatGPT's new ad tiers, Claude's clever anti-ad Super Bowl commercial taking a dig at OpenAI, and some frustrating user-experience bugs Dave has experienced with Anthropic's credit system. Since we're celebrating B-Corp month, we share reflections on a recent B-Corp gathering at the Scottish Parliament and discuss our hopes for building a stronger local B-Corp community to help other businesses balance purpose with profit. Tune in for an unfiltered, highly practical discussion on business strategy, and make sure to subscribe so you don't miss our next episode, where we'll be tackling the rapidly changing world of keyword research and schema markup for AI search engines.