Elephants

   A group of blind men heard that a strange animal called an elephant had been brought to the city, but none of them could perceive its shape. Out of curiosity, they said, “We must inspect it and understand it by touch, as much as we can.” They searched for it, and when they found it, they felt it with their hands.

The first man, whose hand rested on the trunk, said it was like a thick snake. Another, who touched the ear, thought it resembled a kind of fan. The one who touched the elephant's leg described it as a pillar, like a tree trunk. The blind man who placed his hand on the side said it felt like a wall. Another who touched the tail said it felt like a rope. The last man, feeling the tusk, described it as hard, smooth, and spear-like (Williams, 2022).

This is the well-known Indian fable of the six blind men and the elephant. One might assume that excerpts like this are only useful for filling a few pages. However, they often encapsulate complex situations in a brief, simple way.

Paradoxically, it is precisely their simplicity that makes some believe they are no longer necessary. In an era where we often claim to be “more tolerant,” to possess “greater knowledge,” and to demonstrate “acceptance and understanding of others,” it might seem as though we have freed ourselves from being blind to the elephant.

Yet, life has a curious way of reminding us otherwise. Those who do not know are like the blind, but so are those who know too much about one thing; they may become blind to their surroundings, focused solely on what lies in front of them. The issue is not ignorance itself, but the belief that one is wise in one's own opinion.

Why bring this up? The previous text concluded by suggesting that society has moved from segmentation to hyper-segmentation and hyper-segregation under the guise of specialty, sustainability, specialization, culture, and even knowledge itself.

As usual, I reflected on this. I wondered, “Am I turning a drop of water into an ocean, and perhaps it’s not as complex as I claimed?”

Once again, life demonstrated its curious ways. I encountered various experiences that could, in some sense, be encapsulated by the example from the text What’s your decision?, which challenges the common phrase: “If you’re not on social media, you don’t exist.” This saying is frequently repeated in courses, coaching sessions, and other settings aimed at entrepreneurs and anyone seeking visibility.

To some extent, it holds truth.

But does merely being present on every social platform guarantee success?

Absolutely not.

 A blind leading another blind

While I do not consider myself a master or someone with absolute authority to lecture, I do have some knowledge worth sharing, especially if it helps clarify the concepts of segmentation and hyper-segmentation mentioned earlier.

It is not that I oppose marketing, finance, communication, or other fields of knowledge. On the contrary, these disciplines are necessary. However, we must recognize that in today’s reality (where anyone has access to the internet at their fingertips) following an account that publishes summaries on a topic can lead many to consider themselves experts.

Here emerges the phenomenon of the “blind leading the blind.”

For instance, some claim that “monkey-harvested oolong” is merely a misleading marketing tactic. I have often criticized the use of this term, but it is worth restating: if it is deceptive, it is not marketing; it is fraud. Nowadays, people search for words that embellish situations. As long as they sound good on paper, practical realities seem to matter less.

Examples:

Today	Before
Resilience	Endurance (just tough it out!)
Human talent (while still treated worse than property, plant, and equipment)	Human resources
Misleading marketing	Fraud

 

“Become a Marketing Expert!”

That would be the title of my “intensive” marketing course… if I were a charlatan (or a wild pseudoscientist).

What I aim for in this diary is much simpler: to provide a basic idea of certain topics so that you gain some understanding; not to make you an expert, but to help you recognize something more important: we are all, to a greater or lesser extent, lifelong learners.

So, let’s begin.

If marketing isn’t about defrauding people, what is it?

     Kotler and Armstrong note that many people think marketing is solely about selling or advertising. This is understandable; we are constantly surrounded by ads, calls, and emails trying to persuade us to purchase.

However, this is just the surface. Today, marketing is not merely “telling and selling.” It is about understanding and meeting needs. When a company comprehends what people seek, it can create valuable products, price them appropriately, make them accessible, and communicate them effectively. When this occurs, selling becomes less of a struggle.

As Peter Drucker observed, the true purpose of marketing is to make sales almost unnecessary. Essentially, marketing is the process through which companies create value for people, build relationships, and, in return, gain value themselves  (Kotler and Armstrong, 2012)  

From this perspective, fraud generates no value at all.

Of course, this does not imply that marketers have always been naive or that marketing has been perfect since its inception. Not at all. But one of marketing's defining traits is its ability to evolve with the times. It adapts to contexts, technologies, and the ways people interact. In a sense, marketing has always been contemporary.

Before continuing, let me ask a simple question: 

Can you count from one to five?

Esas son las evoluciones que ha tenido el marketing hasta el día de hoy.

These are the evolutions that marketing has undergone up to today.

Ramírez explains that consumers have evolved alongside marketing:

• Marketing 1.0: Product-centered. In the context of industrialization and mass production, the main goal was to manufacture and distribute as many goods as possible. If a product were functional and available, buyers would be found.
• Marketing 2.0: Customer-centered. Recognizing that people have diverse needs, preferences, and expectations, it became necessary to listen to consumers, segment markets, and provide tailored value propositions.
• Marketing 3.0: Values and emotions-centered. The customer is not just a rational consumer but a human being with emotions, values, and social concerns. Brands aim to connect with people through shared purposes, identities, and values.
• Marketing 4.0: Experience and connectivity-centered. With hyperconnected, hyperinformed consumers, companies combine traditional marketing with digital tools to create more human, close, and personalized experiences. Selling is no longer only about satisfying needs; it also conveys purpose, social commitment, and value across multiple channels.

In summary, Marketing 4.0 integrates the three previous stages: economies of scale, personalization according to preferences, and social responsibility.

Marketing 5.0 will be explored in the next piece, where we will discuss how data management can segment or segregate audiences depending on who manages it and how.

 

Ultimately, the problem is not ignorance. The problem lies in believing that we have “seen” the entire elephant when, in reality, we have only touched a part of it; while those who can see only show us that fragment.

 

 

Satoricha ~

 

References

Kotler, P., & Armstrong, G. (2012). Fundamentos de Marketing. Pearson Education.

Williams, S. (2022, 08 19). Lo que ‘Seis ciegos y el elefante’ nos dice sobre el futuro de la resiliencia organizacional. DRJournal. https://drjenespanol.com/articulos/lo-que-seis-ciegos-y-el-elefante-nos-dice-sobre-el-futuro-de-la-resiliencia-organizacional/

Ramirez, M. D. (2021, 01 05). “MUNDO NUEVO” DEL MARKETING 4.0. Investigación Y Desarrollo, 3, 73 - 82. https://dicyt.uajms.edu.bo/revistas/index.php/investigacion-y-desarrollo/article/view/9