The majority of Cult’s blogs, books, events and communications trumpet how customer engagement and non-traditional marketing that diverts bloated mass media budgets to internal strategies, are good for our clients’ businesses. And rightfully so, we are on the leading edge of a revolution.
But there is another group of people these activities are good for. The people who work at Cult. It feels good both personally and professionally to be doing this work. It’s simply a more noble pursuit. Personally, I have struggled a lot in my career with the shallowness of advertising. Grown disillusioned with the guesswork and grey areas of my craft. And often been tempted to quit and find something more meaningful to do with my life. At times this has led me to investigate police work, train driving and even becoming a locksmith. Because, let’s face it, advertising traditionally hasn’t helped make the world better place. There is no Nobel prize for advertising. Far from curing cancer, it almost felt like I was giving the world cancer. Polluting the air waves, roadways and internet with ever more noisy, garish interruptions. Worse than that, sometimes I even felt I was lying for a living.
Let’s face it, advertising traditionally hasn’t helped make the world better place. There is no nobel prize for it.
Cult’s activities are the opposite of that. We’re not just about selling stuff. We advocate against discounting, two-for-ones, and come in now, our prices are insane. We’re about helping groups of people, AKA companies, live more worthwhile lives at work. Assisting them make better enterprises by improving the way they conduct their businesses. And make their products, programs and people more remarkable—to have a more meaningful impact in their world.
We’re about helping groups of people, AKA companies, live more worthwhile lives at work.
Doing that doesn’t just solve a problem for marketers wanting to be more relevant, profitable and noteworthy. It gives us Cultists more worthwhile lives at work, too. And it solves a key problem for an ad guy who wants to be less jaded, and have a more fulfilling, contributory life.
Ours is a much more noble mission than advertising. Something for which we can all be prouder. A way for us to go to our deathbeds, saying more than just “I sold a bunch of stuff”. Because at the end of every day, we know, hands on hearts, that we’ve helped build things that will endure.