Marketers like to talk about how much marketing has changed over the past couple of decades.

And when you look at the vast landscape of digital options available today, it could be difficult to suss out any semblance of marketing from years past.

But each time I hear grandiose statements such as, “Marketing has changed more in the past two years than in the past 50”, “The definition of marketing is changing” or, “Don’t get stuck in old patterns of marketing,” I admit, I shudder.  It’s like there’s been some earth-shattering shift in the fundamentals of marketing.

Seems to me, marketing – at least good marketing – hasn’t changed at all.

The History of Marketing: Has marketing changed?

As Corey Eridon stated in a post about the history of marketing: “Ever since people have had something to sell, we’ve been marketing”. And the concept of marketing has been the same throughout:

• Understand the customer – who they are and what they need/want
• Develop products and services that will appeal to them
• Position those products and services in a way that will resonate with them
• Communicate and promote those products and services to them

So if the concept of marketing really hasn’t changed since traders first started exchanging goods, what has?

I think Forbes contributor, John Ellet, got it right;

“What is different today is the unprecedented rate of change in the both the development of marketing tools and the escalation of expectations for better experiences from customers. Our choice of marketing tools has so greatly increased and evolved that it has enabled marketers to reach larger – yet more targeted – groups of people and interact with them in a far more personal way than ever before.”

As industry and technologies evolve, we evolve with them. Marketers adapt in order to take advantage of the tools and technology that are currently at our disposal with the goal of reaching more of our customers, better engaging with them and persuading them to take action (whether that action is to buy, attend, etc.). If a platform has an audience, marketers are going to find a way to promote their products and services on it.

In HubSpot’s “The History of Marketing: An Exhaustive Timeline“, it’s interesting to note that throughout the evolution of marketing tools we have, in fact, simply added to our bucket of advertising tools instead of replacing them.

A few highlights include:

• 1450: Printed Advertising. We’ve still got that
• 1839: Posters. See them all the time
• 1867: Billboards. Still lining our streets and highways
• 1922: Radio. Listen all the time
• 1941: TV. Even with the rise of DVRs and streaming, Superbowl slots still cost a pretty penny
• 1970: Telemarking. Unfortunately, we still have that
• 1992: SMS Messaging. And we all know mobile is still going strong!

And the list goes on…

I’m not sure how much the way we use print ads, posters, billboards, radio and telemarketing has fundamentally changed over time. Other than becoming a smaller portion of the marketing pie. And the fundamentals of marketing certainly haven’t changed.

Maybe the thing that’s seen such a dramatic change in recent years isn’t marketing-related at all. It’s technology.

In fact the only technology I can think of that may truly become obsolete is the Fax machine – and thereby fax advertising. But I suppose that’s just a matter of time…

As marketers and business owners, it’s important to distinguish between the purpose of marketing and the tools we use to implement a marketing strategy.

We cannot disregard a tool simply because it’s been around forever. And just because a platform is new, doesn’t mean it is the right platform for us. It’s only when we understand the difference between marketing and the tools we use to market, that we can make sound decisions on what tools are right for our own business.

Join to receive monthly marketing tips delivered directly to your inbox.

Jacqui Genow

Brand & Business Strategist

J. Genow Marketing

Jacqui Genow is the founder and principal of J. Genow Marketing. She works with clients in aligning their brand message, building their marketing roadmap, and helping them stay on track to move their business forward. As a Brand and Business Strategist, her focus goes beyond marketing; making the connections between how marketing decisions made today can impact a client’s business in the future. You can find Jacqui on LinkedIn and Twitter.

MORE ON STRATEGY & PLANNING