Was Aristotle a Master Marketer?
3 ways Aristotle outlined the best marketing practices in the 4th Century BCE
Was Aristotle the original Social Media marketer? Or for that matter any other type of marketing master? To answer that question, we need to begin with what is the intention of marketing? Whether it’s marketing a product, a service, or marketing yourself, marketing attempts to gain buy-in to the idea of whatever it is you are offering. The goal, regardless of trying to sell the latest product or trying to get a potential customer to work with you, marketing is trying to persuade someone’s interest. Aristotle outlined some of the best practices for marketing in the 4th Century BCE.
In the Rhetoric, Aristotle discussed how to most effectively persuade someone. In essence, marketing is merely persuading someone to do or buy something. Aristotle outlined 3 basic rules for effectively persuading someone: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Ethos is Greek for “character,” pathos is “emotion” or “passion,” and logos is Greek for “thoughts” or “speech.”
1. Ethos, character
To make an effective argument, first one must be of good character. If the person’s intentions or ethics are questionable, the persuasiveness will be lowered. It is less likely that you would be willing to buy something from The Simpson’s sinister Mr Burns, than someone you deemed trustworthy. There is only one first impression. To best persuade someone, you must look professional. You must be knowledgeable about what you are marketing. If you can’t answer a simple question, it will hurt your persuasiveness.
2. Pathos, emotion
Effective persuasion involves emotion and passion. You don’t have to break into tears to get someone to buy into your ideas. But it should be obvious that you care about the product you are marketing. If you seem disinterested or detached from what you are trying to market, the persuasiveness will be less effective.
3. Logos, speech
Lastly, persuasive marketing is done through proper speech and presentation. Unless it specifically is part of your branding, slang terms or lingo will only hurt the persuasiveness in a marketing campaign. It’s like an inside joke, if only a few people understand the point you are trying to make, the fewer number of people will be reached. If you have a very niche target audience, then this can be used effectively. Wider audiences, though, are most effectively reached through good presentation and widely understood speech. Don’t use technical jargon with a potential client that has very little prior knowledge of the subject matter. Conversely, don’t use layperson’s terms when speaking to someone who does have knowledge about the subject, or you may seem condescending.
Aristotle outlined these three rules for marketing in the 4th century BCE. When you are developing your next marketing campaign keep these concepts in mind to make a more persuasive campaign.
Building effective marketing campaigns that represent the character of our clients, their passion for the work that they do, and developing an effective presentation is what we do at The Crouch Group. We are not Aristotle, but we are a team of experienced marketers that find new and exciting ways to help our clients tell their story to their customers and in turn to grow their business.
