Thread by @gauravsabnis

Oooh one more thread to flesh out bits of lecture script for this prep. Let's see if this analogy works.

What is the difference between Marketing & Propaganda? Forget dictionary definitions. Let's think of analogies, even if a bit flawed. Consider a knife. What is a knife?

https://twitter.com/gauravsabnis/status/1453652486569484293

A knife is used by billions everyday for everything from feeding people to killing people. I've never used a knife for anything other than cooking, some crafts, and opening those damn unopenable hard plastic cases stuff comes in, you know those (joke break on opening packages).

Similarly, I've never used my marketing knowledge or skills in any way to deceive people or sell them a bad product or take advantage of them.

So think of marketing as a knife in general. Mostly used for good. Overwhelmingly. In every kitchen on the planet, everyday.

Propaganda is more like a street switchblade. Not one of those new blunt convenient hiking friendly switchblades you get in gift stores. Proper switch blade.

It is designed only to be a weapon. That is its only purpose. To change minds to our position, no matter what it is.

Is there such a thing as Knife Ethics? No? Yes? (get a bunch of responses, note down the main points)

So we agree that there are some knife ethics everyone will agree on, whether in Hoboken or Hong Kong or Helsinki.

(aside - alliterating cities is a frequent device I use 😁)

Knife Ethics like, it's okay to use a knife to chop vegetables but not fingers. It's okay to use a knife to open packages but not open stomachs. It is okay to use a knife as a weapon in self defense but not to attack. Etc etc.

Marketing is kinda like a knife. Kinda.

There are types of Marketing that are specifically designed to hurt people, for purposes that the world will consider unethical.

So what are marketing ethics? That's what this course will go into in detail, through real life examples and vigorous in class debates.