Most Definitions of Marketing Are Broken—Here’s a Better One
Ask 10 different people what marketing is, and you’ll get 10 very different answers.
One thing most people do seem to agree on? No one seems to like it.
Some see marketing as a mild nuisance. Others treat it like a necessary evil.
And then there’s my favorite group—the ones convinced it doesn’t do anything at all!
Recently, I typed “What is marketing?” into Google—and what I found was a problem.
The definitions were vague. And most importantly, something crucial was missing.
Here’s why that matters: If we can’t agree on what marketing is, how can we expect to align on what it’s supposed to do?
And for the decision-makers steering the ship, that carries even more weight. They define marketing's role within the organization and echo throughout our collaborations with other teams.
So it’s worth asking:
Do our mismatched definitions of marketing quietly sabotage our success?
The Problem with Most Definitions of Marketing
In this post, I’m going to break down four run-of-the-mill definitions and take a closer look at what’s missing.
The first one, straight from the dictionary:
No surprise that words like “promoting” and “selling” show up first.
That’s exactly what people associate most with marketing: Flyers on windshields. Pushy sales reps. Endless ads for things we never asked for.
This definition that paints marketing as a scattered list of disconnected tasks. And maybe, somewhere in the middle, a bit of market research.
But marketing done right? It’s so much more than that.
What came up next: The definition from the AMA (American Marketing Association).
Definition #2:
From ama.org
More comprehensive than the last. But for me, it reads like something written by committee.
Technically accurate, yet sheds little light on what marketers actually do.
In short, it’s a definition no one can really use.
What we need isn’t a vague, all-encompassing statement. We need a definition that actually makes sense—and helps people see the real value of marketing.
The next one (from HubSpot):
Definition #3:
From HubSpot.com
HubSpot comes closer than most in defining the role—and value—of marketing.
Instead of focusing on promotion or persuasion, it emphasizes attracting an audience. It also introduces the idea of “standalone value,” suggesting that marketing content should be genuinely useful, even without an immediate sale.
It’s also one of the few definitions I came across that acknowledges the role of time in the customer journey.
But even so, it doesn’t quite capture everything.
And that brings me to the final definition—
Definition #4:
From impactplus.com
The opening line “The purpose of marketing is to generate revenue” immediately signals a narrow view of what marketing really is.
Yes, revenue is a critical outcome. And yes, certain tactics can help drive short-term results.
But reducing marketing to a direct revenue generator misses the point—and the power—of what marketing actually does.
As marketing expert Dale Harrison puts it, marketing isn’t a direct line to revenue—it’s a multiplier. It doesn’t always close the sale, but it makes everything else more effective: it increases awareness, attracts higher-intent leads, shortens sales cycles, and strengthens pricing power.
Marketing creates the conditions for revenue to happen—especially in complex, long-cycle buying environments where trust, relevance, and timing matter most.
Framing it purely as a revenue engine lends to the “salesification” of marketing—and overlooks the strategic, long-term value it brings to the business.
A More Useful Definition of Marketing
“Marketing is the art and science of building brand awareness, trust, and memorable associations with an audience over time—then activating that familiarity through strategic, physical availability, ultimately driving sustainable business growth.”
Let’s break down the three core ideas behind this approach:
Marketing is both an art and a science:
Marketing often gets pegged as the "arts and crafts" department. While it is creative, it’s also rooted in a serious understanding of human behavior.
It draws from disciplines like:
Psychology, which helps us understand what motivates action.
Sociology: which tells us how what influences what people buy, how they shop, and what brands they identify with
Behavioral economics, which explains the often irrational shortcuts people take in decision-making.
Market research, which grounds strategy in the actual needs, preferences, and language of real people.
These provide a foundation for understanding how people perceive value, how trust is built, and what ultimately drives decisions.
The creativity comes in applying that knowledge in ways that resonate, but the process begins with insight—not instinct.
This definition reflects that reality. Marketing isn’t just a creative exercise—it’s an applied behavioral science with a strategic goal.
Marketing builds memory before it drives action:
Another misconception is that marketing’s job is to drive immediate sales. But most decisions, especially in B2B or high-consideration categories, don’t happen in a single moment. People don’t buy when we want them to—they buy when they’re ready.
That’s why effective marketing works on two levels:
First, it builds mental availability—creating recognition, trust, and meaningful associations through consistent and relevant exposure over time.
Then, it ensures physical availability—that the brand is present, accessible, and easy to act on when the buyer reaches a decision point.
This is not just theory. It’s supported by decades of research in marketing effectiveness. Studies have shown that long-term brand building combined with timely activation outperforms a short-term, sales-first approach.
Our new definition reflects that reality. And crucially, it respects the buyer’s timeline—not the business’s.
Marketing starts with the audience, not the business:
In business, they like to say “the customer is everything.” But the way we talk about marketing rarely reflects that belief.
Most definitions still start with the company: the product, the promotion, the sale.
But marketing that actually works starts with undestanding the people we’re trying to reach:
The behavioral science? It’s not about what we want them to think—it’s about how they actually form associations, trust and respond.
The short vs. long term? It’s a recognition that action happens on their timeline, not ours.
Relevance? It only exists if what we say connects with their world, their needs, and their context.
And marketing’s role—its true role—is to make that understanding actionable.
This isn’t about ignoring revenue—it’s about understanding how revenue actually happens.
Here’s the truth:
When attention is scarce, we can’t afford to define marketing from the inside out. We have to start with the audience.
If we’re not really understanding them, we’re marketing in the dark. We’re throwing tactics into the world and hope they land. We get ignored. And the work becomes inefficient and ineffective.
This Isn’t a New Idea—It’s Just a Forgotten One
I'm not alone in this line of thinking...
In 1980, Philip Kotler defined marketing as “satisfying needs and wants through an exchange process.”
Oof, pretty dry. But by 2018, he redefined it as:
“The process by which companies engage customers, build strong customer relationships, and create customer value in order to capture value from customers in return.”
Notice the shift?
The customer is mentioned three times. Business outcomes are still there—but the customer comes first.
And here’s the key:
This isn’t about relationship-building in a sentimental sense.
It’s grounded in science—specifically, in how memory, familiarity, and trust are formed that lead to preference, credibility, and choice.
Durable brands are built the same way durable relationships are: through repeated, meaningful interaction over time.
That’s why marketing, done right, is inherently audience-centric.
And any useful definition should reflect that.
Final Thoughts: Marketing Confusion Is Costing Us—It’s Time to Fix It
So why don’t more companies embrace truly audience-centric marketing?
Because promotion is easy—and familiar. Highlighting features, pushing messages, and tracking clicks feels like action. It’s immediate. It’s measurable. It fits neatly into a quarterly report.
By contrast, understanding your audience takes time. Building trust takes repetition. Measuring memory, relevance, and long-term influence is harder. It doesn’t always show up in attribution models. And in a culture focused on short-term wins, the incentive to invest in long-term strategy often disappears.
But that’s exactly where marketing delivers its deepest value.
When we take the time to understand how people actually think and decide—what they remember, what builds trust, and how timing shapes action—marketing becomes something much more powerful.
And we wouldn’t just talk about marketing differently…
We’d fund it differently.
We’d measure it differently.
We’d prioritize it differently.
That may sound ambitious. Maybe even idealistic.
But then again... a gal can dream. 💫
