The question I posed in the first part of this discussion is, “Has Sales & Marketing, wittingly or unwittingly, mimicked and adopted the military strategy that Frank Hoffman identified in 2007 as Hybrid Warfare?”
This is the logic of Hybrid Warfare:
In the 21st century wars are not won or lost exclusively on the battlefield.
They are also won or lost through informational spaces (specifically social media).
Therefore, domination of information spaces is a means to military victory.
The equivalent, for Sales & Marketing, therefore goes along these lines:
In the 21st century customers are not won or lost exclusively in the marketplace of products and services.
They are also won or lost through informational spaces (specifically social media).
Therefore, domination of information spaces is a means to commercial success.
For this to become true, businesses would need to be classifying or qualifying Customers or Prospects on some basis other than the Customers’ needs for, or approval of, whatever products or services a business provides. Why? Because the logic, causes and messages in the informational spaces can be quite distinct from the logic that governs product/service development.
Take, for example, the recent (June 2023) incident where one of Britain’s banks (until recently, we called them High Street banks, but now they’ve mostly quit their bricks & mortar premises!), Coutts (part of NatWest Bank), fired one of their customers because … well … they didn’t like him. He was a long-standing customer. He had done nothing illegal. But they did not want him to remain a customer any longer than they could help.
Yes, of course, I refer to Nigel Farage. The bank put together a 40-page dossier to support their decision. Quite near the start they wrote:
Therefore, the decision was to EXIT Nigel Farage (including business accounts), that exit to be on a glide path to coincide with the expiry of the mortgage, but an earlier exit to be considered if an event occurs that amplifies the reputational risks associated with banking NF. [third-party personal data removed] team would undertake monthly Adverse Press Checks on NF.
Goodness me! “the reputational risks associated with banking NF.” Up until now we would have considered it bonkers to think that some customers might suddenly think, “I say, do you realize that so-and-so is a customer at my bank. If they don’t immediately get rid of him or her I shall promptly close my account.”
But there we have it: the fact that activity above and beyond a product or service influences marketing activity is now a reality.
An early instance was when Gillette produced a commercial (2019) attacking ‘toxic masculinity’. Nothing to do with the Gillette product range but, rather, an implied threat that, unless you are aligned with a particular view about male behaviour, Gillette didn’t want you as a customer. The customer as enemy.
Then there’s the instance of Anhauser Busch beer brand, Bud Light. Again, an implied threat … Are you comfortable with current transgender issues? If not, please drink a different beer. The customer as enemy.
And, currently, there is the marketing activity of clothing brand North Face. This is rather more subtle. If you are prepared to spend an hour or so tackling their Allyship in the Outdoors online course, and if you pass the test, you can earn a 20 per cent discount. According to The Times newspaper:
Those taking the course are given a quiz, with correct answers including: “Equity helps eradicate prejudice and discrimination.”
Another correct answer - to a question about feeling safe and welcome outdoors - is “knowing there are allies present”.
Later modules include topics such as “white privilege” while customers are asked: “How many people of colour do you see on the slopes, on the hills, or on the trails?”
Another segment argues that “privilege can give us access to the outdoors.”
It adds: “In this context, we refer to ‘white privilege’ meaning that your race and skin colour can give you access to the outdoors when others can be excluded because of historic, enduring racism and biases.”1
Sincerity - Authenticity - Righteousness
I launched into this topic back in July 2023, at which time I suggested that we had just entered an age of selling Value in Self-Righteousness. Now, in view of more recent events, I have come to the conclusion that that was not quite right - although self-righteousness is conspicuous by its presence!
But, no, what I now sense is happening is a shift of the kind that American critic Lional Trilling (1905-1975) discussed in his book, Sincerity and Authenticity2. Trilling argued that every so often we humans seem to undergo a kind of mental mutation process.
Specifically, he described the Western mind of the pre-1600 period as being governed by the idea of Sincerity - in a world where people were born into ‘fixed’ positions in society Sincerity meant being the best you could be at whatever role was assigned to you.
Around 1600, however, there was a mindset shift. Trilling labelled the new mode, Authenticity - which acknowledged that people increasingly fulfilled portfolio roles.
I’m now arguing that, right now, we are undergoing a further mental mutation and, this time, I think we can label the mode Righteousness.
This does, of course, bring self-righteousness into play but I no longer think that it is the actual intended driver. We can compare the situation with the late-Georgian and early-Victorian periods when there was a lot of discussion about hypocrisy (or cant as it was labelled) but the mental driver was actually Authenticity.
The implications of this are profound. The shift in Sales & Marketing terms is equivalent to the Hybrid Warfare shift affecting large-scale disputes and subsequent military involvements. But the issues are by no means settled (in warfare or marketing).
In sum, it is clear that a number of high-profile Marketers have adjusted their activity to include social judgement and comment, which makes the Customer as Enemy concept a reality … but have these businesses really thought the consequences through?
I’ll try to address this question next time.
Thanks for reading.
The Times of London newspaper, 5th March 2024
Trilling, Lionel. Sincerity and Authenticity (1971)