Why Marketing Isn't Just for Failed Products

6 Jan 2023 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:46

Dharmesh Shah pushes back on Naval's claim that companies turn to marketing when products fail. Shah argues marketing and product aren't opposites but reinforce each other: good marketing eases sales, strong products simplify marketing, solid strategy supports product development, and healthy culture enables strategy.

Chapters

getting this question based on a tweet by Naval. You're doing sales because you failed at marketing. You're doing marketing because you failed at product. Now, it's a well-crafted tweet, but I disagree with the fundamental premise that the only time you need to do marketing is if you failed at product. I would suggest we say if marketing is done well, sales becomes easier. Product is done well, marketing becomes easier. If strategy is done well, product becomes easier. And finally, if culture is done well, strategy becomes easier. These things build on each other. If you can build a great product that does not require advertising or promotion, awesome. But you are likely going to need marketing. And just because you're doing marketing does not mean you failed at product. Love you, Naval, but, uh, I just had to get that out there.