Empowering Versus Marketing

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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http://www.a-zSAT.com Clair Hinckley

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.
http://gregcryns.blogspot.com/ greg cryns

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.
http://gregcryns.blogspot.com/ greg cryns

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.
http://www.STUDIO6-23.com STUDIO 623 grand rapids weddin

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.
http://www.STUDIO6-23.com STUDIO 623 grand rapids wedding photographers

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.
http://www.vistasad.com Atul Chatterjee

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.
http://www.vorsight.com Beth

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
http://toddrjordan.com/thebroadbrush tojosan

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?
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http://www.facebook.com/people/Jordan-Wolfe/6813942 Jordan Wolfe

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 (http://www.uwemp.com). I would like to hear other people's thoughts. Get on the empowerment train!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jordan-Wolfe/6813942 Jordan Wolfe

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 (http://www.uwemp.com). I would like to hear other people's thoughts. Get on the empowerment train!
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http://www.toplvstore.com/ lv

Everything will be all right,I am behind you.

Empowering Versus Marketing

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