Hello.
Today, I would like to introduce you to Seth Godin's lesser-known masterpiece, "All Marketers Are Liars."
After reading parts of this book somewhere, I've been thinking I should read it, and finally, I've gotten around to it.
The original title is "All the marketers are liars," but the Korean version has added the adjective "bright red," making it a very provocative title.
While I'm not a marketer, the book contains useful advice for a variety of situations. It's quite useful advice not only for those preparing for business, those who need to sell something, and actual marketers, but also for those who need to psychologically persuade others, and those who need to appeal to themselves.
In fact, we subconsciously think of marketing as a kind of fraud or trickery, at worst. It's simply a trick to sell something, a momentary magic that charms me, right? But why do consumers have that idea?
Isn't it because of the dissatisfaction we feel after buying something, the gap between what we expected and the service provided? That's why such a book is even more necessary. Seth Godin begins his story by saying that marketers are liars.
 
"Before there was marketing, before there were shopping carts, and long before there were ads, people already told stories to themselves." (Quoted from the text)
 
As you know, humans, unlike other animals, have the powerful skill of imagination. This is an ability that has developed in direct connection with survival, so it's embedded deep within us. Imagination is the biggest factor in creating stories and preaching stories.
When we go to a strange place, we must quickly judge how we should act based on the surrounding environment. It's because we need to keep our position or raise it by acting appropriately without being out of place in the situation. But stories are essential for understanding the context.
In other words, understanding the context is creating a brief beginning, development, climax, and resolution, in your own way, about when, from whom, and how the story began, how it flowed, and how it will end in the future.
 
"You are a liar. So am I. We are all liars. The reason we tell stories to ourselves is that we are superstitious beings. There is too much information in this world to figure out all the details, so we choose stories as a shortcut."  (Excerpt from page 19 of the text)
 
Such insightful words continue throughout the book.
 
"You can't attract many people to your story by simply revealing it. But if you take advantage of the worldview that almost everyone has, 'I want to share my thoughts with those around me,' you will see people who believe in your story trying to share that lie with those around them. There is a condition here. Your story must be easy to spread, and people must believe that your story is worth spreading." (Excerpt from page 95 of the text)
 
Seth Godin points out the concept of a community that shares a worldview. According to Seth Godin, when we buy something, we see what kind of values the place where we buy it has. This is because we no longer simply buy things in a situation of poverty, but because we have our own tastes and choose things from a wide range of options.
For example, the reason you go to Muji to buy things is because you are fascinated by the almost-obsessive cleanliness that Muji gives, the beauty that comes from the simplest lines. It's a worldview shared by a community of people who use Muji products! Through this understanding, marketers can get a feel for how to tell stories to consumers.

We now see that selling things and making money are no longer something to be avoided because they are materialistic, but rather, they are necessary for a better life, and something that we need to prepare for the future. YouTubers like Shinsaimdang are emerging with this kind of worldview, and the number of people selling online on a small scale through Smart Store is increasing. The role of advertising is also becoming more important than ever in history.

Seth Godin might be a liar too. Maybe he used a great package to make you buy his book about marketing. But I was persuaded by him. We will continue to buy things throughout our lives anyway. If we're going to buy, if we're going to spend money, we'll listen to the stories that appeal to us. But knowing what stories are valid and what stories are stale is a world of difference.

I recommend this book to those who need a fresh perspective and a bold shift.

Thank you.