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So I was flipping through my issue of Marketing Mag, I came across a very funny article by the very clever Geoffrey McDonald Bowll who wrote a relatively long article about the lack of popularity for the 'most misunderstood, maligned profession in the world'.

I would have to agree that marketers aren't the most popular people at all - in fact we have been rated less popular than accountants! I found this to be quite shocking at the time, and working with accountants on a daily basis - this popularity ladder still astounds me!

The public feel they can trust other professions, and think that they can't trust marketers. Marketers who are trying all day long to give the public exactly what they want, at the price they want, with as little wastage as possible. I believe they are hating the wrong people!

A few anti-marketing cliches:

Shallow as a Blond in a Shower
Marketers have no depth of thinking - reaching for the blindingly obvious. Thin girl. Red sports car. Big diamond.

Trying to Brainwash Me
They try to tell us X,Y and Z is more important than the things you believe no matter what.

Sexist
Anybody who uses sex to sell things obviously thinks that gender is less important than their own.

Can't Add Up
Marketers, who really ought to be women - 'cause it's not a real man's job - get all fuzzed up when you ask them to do anything with numbers.

Full of Bullshit
Marketers use long, meaningless, weird jargon to make themselves look smarter. Like 'target market' instead of 'people' or 'ageing demographic' instead of 'old people'.

You Can't Trust Them
They will tell anybody anything. They don't understand the concept of confidentiality any more than they understand the idea of privacy or trust.

...by this stage, I'm starting to have my feelings hurt - but wait - there's more!

Salespeople with Tickets on Themselves
Marketers kid themselves they are more important than salespeople, when the reality is, they are salespeople who aren't very good at selling.

Lazy.

Mad Men - Their Life
The entire marketing industry thinks it's living a Mad Men lifestyle.

Anybody Can Do It - No Skills
You just need a good act at sucking up, more hubris and fewer brain cells.

The list goes on:
Up themselves
Don't do anything
Wankers
No consistency
Code of ethics?
Demotivate
Waste money
Wannabe creatives
They don't even know what they do

Less popular than traffic wardens, used cares salesmen or lawyers.

What we DO have is the power to affect behavioral change - so the above list is what I'll be sure to continue to tackle each day.