In response to:

“As the world wakes up to the perils of excess consumption,

is the marketing discipline condemned to be principal villain?”

As awareness increases about the dangers of excess consumption, there is little question about whether the marketing discipline will be condemned as principal villain – the answer is yes. But does it deserve to be condemned? The answer is yes – and no.

In the world of Harry Potter, the Mirror of Erised “shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts”. Our young hero sees his deceased parents, but as modern-day Muggles, what might we see staring back at us? Is marketing the true villain in this story of excess consumption, or is just a mirror, which merely reflects and magnifies “the deepest, most desperate desires” of our culture?

The United States currently exists as a blameless society, an unfortunate cultural disease that is rapidly spreading to the rest of the world. People no longer take responsibility for their own actions or choices, so they must find something or somebody else to fault. This trend is, in fact, the main reason we even ponder the question of whether the marketing discipline is responsible for excess consumption: as people become increasingly accustomed to displacing blame, the marketing discipline is an easy and logical target.

Yet, as with most things in life, all aspects of the equation need to be examined. Indeed, no matter how you slice it, the marketing discipline undoubtedly contributes to excess consumption; however, it also has a great opportunity to use its power for good. Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that the marketing discipline is often an unsung hero, whose altruistic role is that of education and enlightenment.

People want and need the information that is delivered by the marketing discipline. Some of the knowledge gained might not be immediately applicable, but all of it possesses the ability to inform and inspire. Some people will be profoundly inspired in ways we simply cannot imagine or predict. Many of these instances will only affect the world in small ways, but others will have unfathomably large impacts on the world. Perhaps the marketing discipline is not directly correlated to all of these changes, but there is no doubt that a connection exists.

It is utterly impossible to anticipate or comprehend the many far-reaching and lasting effects of marketing and advertising: a piano may encourage one person to become the next Mozart, a bicycle may drive one person to become the next Lance Armstrong, and a chess set might endeavor one person to be the next Bobby Fischer. Consumption can ultimately lead to creation and contribution. And if for every billion Harry Potter books sold, one singular child is inspired to become the next J.K. Rowling – would it all be worth it? Yes, resoundingly yes.

The messages carried forth by the marketing discipline have changed our lives and made the world a better place. The marketing discipline has altered the course of history. And it has raised the standards of living for all mankind.