Empowering Versus Marketing

April 16, 2009 · Comments

students We’ve developed a way for you to learn skills that are useful on a global scale. We’ve created tools that will help you communicate with others where it was previously impossible. We’ve built ways for you to share your experiences with others, and contribute to something in a meaningful way. Those statements are all empowering.

The One Laptop Per Child program was started with the goal of devising an inexpensive computer to distribute to children in developing countries so that children could improve their education, their communications abilities, and so that they could make something meaningful happen.

Critics abound. Why send laptops when you can send food? The laptop is clunky. It doesn’t solve anything. It’s not sustainable. They didn’t do it for the $100 they originally said it would cost.

Today, I’m thinking about how empowering people matters so much more than marketing to them. Sure, not every single marketing opportunity has so noble an end. If I want you to chew my company’s brand of gum versus another company’s brand of gum, I don’t see us all rallying and pumping our fists in the air for that “cause,” but sometimes, it does matter.

If you can empower with your products and services, choose that for your marketing. If you can spend dollars on things that help others, enable others, give the people who use your products and services something that allows them to do something meaningful, make that a spending priority.

And better still? If you can empower your prospective customers to help others with those things that you choose to give them, do it. A cause-based example would be Tom’s Shoes – for every pair you buy, they give a pair to a child in need. All marketing need not be caused-based, but the premise is still the same.

Can you empower more than you market? How does this apply to what you’re doing?

Photo credit OLPC

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  • We're partnering with RIF (Reading is Fundamental) and NAIBA (National Association of Independent Booksellers), and donating books to the military in conjunction with our Liar's Club Tells the Truth About Independent Bookstores Tour.

    Response has been overwhelming.
  • Chris ... great article. Our company has really modeled this too. We saw a market that needed nutrition more than any other.... our kids and teens. Yet their parents were high expense years while still building to the peak of their income. The Juice Plus Childrens Health Foundation that was formed gives free product for 3 years to a child that has a parent on the product....
  • We all can empower with marketing, it just takes a bit more effort. Great brands have foresight and have baked the marketing into the product or service beforehand, and the best of the best have a real cause woven in there too - not as an afterthought.

    "Empowering is marketing". This statement is close to the title of this post and it's my daily mantra for how I approach my clients and my blog. There's a sense that respect has been given when one feels they've been empowered. These are the same people who will actively help you promote your business in return, not because you asked them to, but because they can't help themselves. This is not your main goal, however it provides a nice 'win-win' for both parties.
  • Great article! I am still fleshing out a concept called The Invisible Mentor where I empower people to read more. The core concept is to use old ideas to solve today's problems. http://www.twitter.com/avilbeckford
  • This applies to individuals as well as companies. So as a careerist, the qeustion to ask is ' how can I empower members of my personal brand community?' When you connect how you empower with what you are passionate about, you become more attractive and interesting to those around you. It's an important element of personal branding.

    Best.
    William
    www.williamarruda.com
  • Thanks for the post, it truly gives me something to think about. I have a strong desire to help people hence why I because a Virtual Assistant. Now you have me thinking how I can help more globally.
  • I agree that empowerment is the most powerful form of marketing. There are writers and thought leaders that I buy everything they write/sell because I feel that received massive value from them, because I feel that they've empowered me to move forward.

    Doug
  • I have found that I often make the best connection with my market when I forget about marketing and just focus on the "good" that my service will do for my clients. Notice, I did not use the word "benefit".
  • Tim Andren (# 3 above) is absolutely correct. “Empowering IS the new Marketing”.

    With the abundance of choice available today, it makes absolutely no sense for a company NOT to tell a potential customer how their new widget is going to empower them and enrich their daily life. Of course, not all widgets are equally empowering, but once empowered; a “powerful” connection to the customer has been established, one upon which a relationship can then be built or strengthened. It is that relationship which will get the customer to both return to you and your product and “promote” you and your product to others.
  • Empowering is a word that sound far better then "marketing". The reason for this? One helps one person, while the other helps both parties. Why can't we move towards a non-zero sum world? I think we would all be better off for it. The example you just used proves it Chris.
  • This made me think of when I'm a customer and those rare times that I've encountered a salesperson who's actually been helpful. My first reaction is surprise (huh! you're helping me!). The whole dynamic changes from one of suspicion/prey (suspicious customer/salesperson looking at customer as "prey"), to one of 2 people trying to solve a problem. Even if I don't end up buying anything from the salesperson at that time, I'm more than likely to go out of my way to shop with that salesperson in the future. From the salesperson point of view, it's a lot more pleasant to forget about pitching and get into problem-solving mode--at least for me.
  • Chris,
    I love this article! Empowering is Marketing, because when you have empowered someone it makes them want to do the same for other people. Its like paying it forward and it won't only help your business but it makes you feel better as a person to know that your are actually making a difference is someone's life versus trying to make a profit only.

    Erica Bell
  • Excellent post, Chris! When you empower your customers with your brand, they become more invested in your success and they are more likely to spread your ideas. Adding this value to your brand is one of the best "free" ways you can increase market share and make competition irrelevant.
  • Simon's article made me think. And I think any honest 'sale' transaction, whether of goods or services, should always bring about some incremental empowerment to the buyer. But I don't think the intent of Simon's article was aimed at the tactics of how we handle any individual sale transaction. I think it was more about strategic positioning, suggesting that (where we can) we elevate our marketing campaigns by expanding their defined objectives to include (or focus on) a longer term or 'bigger' benefit to society. Tim above suggests 'empowering is marketing'. I agree, but would add the word 'great' - 'empowering is great marketing'.

    Duncan
  • Not necessarily about empowering, but rather to do with the OLPC project.

    Over the March Break, four students and a Teacher went over to rural Kenya with 8 OLPC's. They had researched for a long time before hand, and also brought many 'digitized' books, as well as Cradlepoints with 3G! Since I'm not explaining it well please check out the full (summarzied) story here!
  • Martin
    Great article! Btw, I actually got one of those XOXO laptops when they had a drive that when you buy two laptops, one would go to charity. My daughter (5) loves her laptop, and as a self-proclaimed geek I can tell you: it's great little machine.
  • This was great. We can help by giving or we can help by empowering people to help themselves. I believe the former is often a temporary solution while the later is the road to a permanent solution.
  • elyssa - @boulderservices
    This is nice Chris. Creative Capitalism is the term used by Bill Gates and I think another more popular term might be social entrepreneurship. Another great post on this topic can be found here http://wokai.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/02/bill... (Is that OK that I post a link on your post Chris?)
    I love this concept - it fits with all things that make humankind worthwhile .
  • partywedo
    History always demonstrates that people who find time to help others are always well blessed for their time and effort.
    Companies that find ways to empower their customers to do better, also become better.
    The best traits of both people and companies are a measure of kindness and a tradition of giving.
    Thank you for suggesting that we market with kindness and generosity.
  • Along these same lines, companies should look at empowering their own employees. Employees who feel their voice is heard not only internally will be more likely to have positive feelings about their company and products. Extending that, employees who feel empowered to speak out in the market conversation will help spread awareness of the company's products. If interacting in the market conversation with the company's Influencers and their audiences is part of job responsibilities, it gives the employee a greater stake in the company's success.

    I advise clients to look closely at the idea of asking employees to participate in the market conversation as part of their responsibilities when they start a conversation marketing program. Sure, there are risks involved, but the reward potential is also quite high.
  • UlrikaB
    Think you're on the right track, Chris. My thoughts also turns to sustainability and how to support environmentally-friendly ideas/habits through "empowering" - naturally needs to be in line with the selling company's values and products.
  • evdu@yahoo.com
    thanks chris ~ as always you get it right.
    Belief =empowering
    Empowering =enabling
  • One of the standard features of my blog, facebook, and twitter efforts is promotion of local school events, fundraisers, accomplishments, and heroes. This is a way to support my community and education, while making connections with parents, teachers, administrators, and others who share my enthusiasm for education. At the suggestion of a friend, I have started a meetup group (Teachers Helping Each Other Succeed In Business) in the Phoenix area for teachers who have learning tools they would like to develop and market. After working for more than 3 years on revising & updating the SAT verbal Prep materials I had developed years before, I thought, why not share some experiences, resources, and support with other people in the same boat? Our first meeting is coming up and I look forward to this opportunity to hang out with like-minded teachers.
  • This afternoon I visited our local grocery story. It has a nice meat section, much like the butcher shops of old. In fact, two butchers (now called meatcutters) were on clearly on duty and available for questioning.

    The butchers had set up a heat lamp on the little metals counter over the meats and fish. Underneat the lamp were a bunch of chunks of chicken breasts with a special saltless flavoring on each one. I saw the toothpics and ate one sample. MMMM. then another sample. Scrumptious!

    I asked the butcher what was in the spice bottle that made it taste so good. He walked around the front of the display and crouched down before a small counter that had different meat spices. "This one," he said.

    The butcher spent about 5 minutes explaining to me the joys of cooking chicken on the grill. There was another patron waiting, but that did not deter him from his full explanation about exactly how to cook good chicken. I was fascinated and asked appropriate questions along the way.

    I thanked the butcher and picked up a small bottle of "Poppy's Seasoning" and put it in my basket. Then I headed over to the area in the store where they sold chicken breasts and bought some (even though I still have sticker shock from today's chicken pricing- it used to be a meat bargain in the old days).

    Did the butcher practice empowerment or salesmanship? A little of both, I think.
  • in a conversation yesterday, i asked "since when has sharing become so selfish?" when businesses share something (communication, give something, etc...), they often wear their selfish motives on their sleeves. your blog hit this right on...sharing is something you do for someone else's benefit, not for yourself. the irony is, it's precisely when you get this right that you realize the benefits.
  • Tom's shoes giveaway is a wonderful example of matching corporate goals with social
    responsibility. I wish they start selling India! There will be plenty of takers in this country where there is a market for second hand shoes.
  • Chris, this is a great post. I like your idea of empowering vs. marketing, and I hope you write more on this subject again.

    I may be attending the Inbound Marketing Summit in Dallas next month. I'm very much looking forward to hearing you speak!

    Beth - @bpvorsight
  • The question then is assuming a company has the right attitude, how do they go about finding partners? Is there a really easy place for them to connect, or will they end up fumbling through endless phone calls, emails, and paperwork? It sounds easy to say donate, it's another thing entirely for a large company to do without complications.

    Clearing house?
  • This is truly a great post, though I just came across it. I think Chris hit on a key theme with this concept of empowerment. I believe this theme of empowerment is a megatrend that is going to take over corporate branding and marketing departments on a large scale over the next several years.

    Since the 60s and the VIetnam war, this country has not seen the young generation so focused on living a fulfilling and satisfied life. Secondly, large companies do not know how to reach the teens and twentysomethings with the explosion of social media.

    The answer is these companies wil effectively reach these young people through this idea of empowerment online. I believe so much in this concept, I started an online media company surrounded around this theme (www.uwemp.com). I would like to hear other people's thoughts. Get on the empowerment train!
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