Marketing 101, Part 1: What Marketing Is (And Isn't)

The Cruxology Marketing 101 series is meant to help non-marketers understand some Marketing basics. To be clear, this isn't a college course! This series should guide you in understanding the value of marketing for your organization and hopefully help you to understand what to prioritize and how to utilize your marketing resources correctly.

So, What Is Marketing?

Created by Marketing Millennials

I have to start off with this meme to bring some humor to it all. It is a favorite of mine because it reflects both the absurdity of, and the real depth and breadth, of Marketing's responsibilities and capabilities within an organization. I know that Marketing is one of those business functions everyone thinks they understand, but this image captures what few non-marketers fully grasp. Many assume it's just a cost center full of folks who 'make things look pretty' or post some social media ads. It often gets oversimplified into advertising or confused with sales, but in reality, Marketing is so very much more.

If you're in an organization today, think of how many times a challenge gets kicked over to Marketing to solve? And then think about how many of those challenges have anything to do with what you assume Marketing actually does? That's why in this first part of the Marketing 101 series, we need to start by clearly defining what Marketing is and what it is not.

What Marketing Is

1. Above all else it's a strategic function

   Marketing is not just about creating clever ads or pretty presentations. At its core, Marketing is foundational to your business strategy: Marketing spends boatloads of time understanding the markets, what competitors are doing, identifying opportunities, and positioning the company and its products or services in ways that resonate with target audiences. You may only see the pretty stuff externally, but the level of business savvy and acumen that goes into creating the pretty stuff is extensive.

   
   

2. Customer-centric to its core

   Marketing centers its entire world and intention around the customer. As Peter Drucker once said, "Marketing is not a function, it is the whole business seen from the customer's point of view." From market research to customer journey mapping, every single decision you make should stem from a deep understanding of who the customer is, what motivates them, and how your brand can deliver meaningful value to them.

   
   

   Often times, Marketing is the only voice in the room advocating on behalf of the customer. We don't do it to be annoying. We do it because it's our job to ensure the people who will invest in the brand and purchase the product or service are front and center. Don't get me wrong, it's not that other functions don't care about the customer, but they are often bringing up challenges or issues that have nothing to do with the customer and are more internal business-focused. Marketing's job is not to ignore or minimize those issues, but to ensure that whatever solution the organization arrives at ensures the brand experience for customers remains positive and intact.

   
   

3. A driver of business growth

   Effective marketing doesn’t just generate awareness—it fuels revenue. Because of this fact, it is vital to ensure that Marketing is involved in product development from the jump. Many organizations operate with Marketing coming in at the tail end to promote the product. But the reality is that Marketing has an influence on product development (see point 2 above as to why), pricing strategies, distribution channels, and communications to ensure the business grows sustainably. So if you don't loop Marketing in until the last minute, you are setting yourself up for failure.

4. Storytelling with purpose

   Marketing tells the story of a brand—its values, mission, and unique differentiators. Done right, it connects emotionally with customers, creates trust, and builds loyalty over time. I saw a LinkedIn post the other day where someone said that Brand is the most potent form of lead generation you have, and I agree wholeheartedly. Utilizing it and speaking to it with intention will bring positive results in spades.

5. A measurable discipline

   In today’s data-driven world, marketing is as much science as art. From sales performance to campaigns, the work is measured, optimized, and iterated upon to maximize impact. Metrics like conversion rates, customer lifetime value, and return on investment are central to good marketing. Data is power so if a Marketer isn't measuring or your organization isn't measuring performance in some capacity, you should be alarmed.

What Marketing Is Not

1. Just advertising

   Advertising is but one tool in the marketing toolbox. It is not the whole toolbox. Limiting marketing to ads short-changes a vital strategic function. It ignores research, product strategy, branding, customer experience, and analytics—all critical aspects of the discipline and all elements that are vital to overall business success.

2. Synonymous with sales

   Sales and marketing work closely together, but they are distinctly different and serve very different purposes within an organization. See my blog post about this relationship if you want to get more into the weeds, but at a high level, sales is about closing deals with individual customers; marketing is about creating the conditions that make those deals possible—building awareness, demand, and preference at scale.

3. A one-time effort

   Marketing is not something you “set and forget.” Markets evolve, competitors shift, and customer needs change. Marketing is an ongoing process of learning, adapting, and innovating and therefore should honestly be one of the last places where you short-change your budgets.

4. A cosmetic layer

   It’s not just logos, color palettes, or catchy slogans. While brand identity is important, it is far more than the visual experience. Brand and marketing must be rooted in substance—real value delivered to real people. Glossy visuals without strategy or storytelling that is relevant to customers will short-change the overall brand experience and won’t create lasting success.

5. A cost center

   This is one that drives me absolutely bonkers. Too often, Marketing is seen as an expense rather than an investment. Which I find so very strange considering the fact that Marketing is a driver of business growth. If you invest in Marketing to drive business, then you're investing in the growth of the business. This mentality of Marketing as a cost center will forever be detrimental to your business and your bottom line. In reality, well-executed marketing generates measurable returns and is essential for long-term profitability and growth.

Conclusions

Hopefully this blog post helps to clarify that Marketing is a big job with loads of responsibility. It is both art and science: the art of telling compelling stories and the science of understanding and influencing human behavior. It is not only the bridge between businesses and the people they serve, but also a central piece of the business strategy puzzle. By clarifying what Marketing is—and just as importantly, what it is not—leaders can elevate their strategies, reprioritize their spend, align their teams and unlock true growth.

Need marketing help after reading this post? Let's connect to discuss how I can help you navigate your next steps!