Marketing used to mean advertising. If you wanted to sell something awareness on a mass scale was the shortcut. Remarkability or transparency didn’t have to be baked into your product. But we’ve come a long way from the days of Mad Men and the blurred line between getting noticed and being believed.

Today anyone can….

1. Make a better product.
Josh uses just two ingredients in his handmade stoneground chocolate.
The Sydney Opera House brings in a billion dollars a year to the Australian economy.

2. Reward already loyal customers. Give them a story to share.
Jamie Oliver created a free pizza giveaway on Instagram by writing the details with a black marker on a plate and posting the photo.
My friend Mark the baker impacted a whole community with his bread giveaway. The side effect for both businesses was a positive brand-building vibe, even with people who didn’t have a chance to take part.

3. Change how people feel.
Warby Parker changed how people felt about how often they should shop for new glasses and how many pairs they should own.
charity: water built transparency and trust into their interface with the 100% model and GPS, showing donors where their money was making a difference.

4. Create content people want to come back for and share.
In the past you had to have access to a printing press to publish a food magazine that people drooled over, not anymore. The same strategy works for companies big and small, check out
My Starbucks Idea and Airbnb Popular Wishlists.

5. Connect your community.
Moleskine created a marketplace for custom designed notebooks connecting one set of fans to another.
One of our local cafes which backs onto the beach sponsored a surfing event last month.

6. Frame your scarcity.
There is no substitute for Christian Loboutin red soled shoes. Loboutin has managed to attach unique meaning to his shoes using colour and design.

7. Deliver value beyond an exchange of goods or a sales transaction.
Snakes & Lattes the board game cafe charges customers for coffee but what they really sell is connection.

What could you do with zero advertising and a better story?

Image by Geoff Jones.