Not an apology, but a rallying cry: Thoughts on marketing, journalism and the quest for the good

I have said goodbye to a lot this year — loved ones, old resentments, long-cherished dreams. One of the most profound transitions in my life, though, has been professional.

This was the year I finally stopped calling myself a “journalist” and accepted a full-time position as director of content strategy at an ad agency. Initially, I felt I had to apologize for the decision.

At parties, I would joke, in self-deprecating fashion, that I had managed to cram two journalistically objectionable words into a three-word job title — masking my ambivalence with humor and another sip of wine.

I’m not going to apologize anymore.

Marketing is not the bogeyman

To many journalists, taking a job in marketing is tantamount to ethical treason — You’ve “joined the dark side,” or become another soulless “flack.” I’ve always felt this to be misguided — but now the issue has become more personal.

My love for journalism borders on religious feeling — which is saying a lot, because I’m not a religious man. I have deep respect for the ideals of the profession — which, at its best, has the power to inspire progress, transcend social boundaries, subvert the established narrative and elevate the voiceless and oppressed, in a way few other institutions can match.

I am deeply troubled by the diminishing power of the press. Still, I don’t see marketing, writ large, as some sort of bogeyman. In fact, if journalism is to last, it won’t do so without a healthy dose of self-promotion.

Marketing is communication, simply. What matters is the message. At its best, marketing can advance the public good, can take up the banner of truth when the press falters.

Marketing can advance the good when the press falters

I think about this often. Take the challenge of sustainability. Our current economic system does not do a good job of communicating externalities — the hidden costs to society that aren’t reflected on a product’s price tag. In the battle for market share, irresponsible companies often win out over responsible ones.

In an ideal world, an independent and vigorous press would rectify this imbalance, exposing the true costs of goods and services. Unfortunately, the press seems to become less independent and less vigorous with every passing month. Resources diminish. Compromises are made.

I believe it is imperative that we, as a society, find a way to make the unbiased, uncompromising truth sustainable. In the meantime, though, who can pick up the banner but the marketers of the world?

Life is war. Economics is war. Journalism has always been to me a bastion of nonviolence in a world reft by conflict, and nothing can truly replace that role. But when my pen fails, I won’t sit idly on the battlefield wringing my hands. I will pick up a sword and fight for the causes in which I believe.

What is needed is not an apology, but a rallying cry.