Marketing Re-Imagined: Charley Tichenor On How We Can Re-Imagine The Marketing Industry To Make It More Authentic, Sustainable, And Promote More Satisfaction
An Interview With Drew Gerber
I believe that the accountability and transparency we see in Europe is something I’d like to see more globally. It is far too easy for those with malicious intent to cause harm and profit from the abuse of others.
From an objective standpoint, we are living in an unprecedented era of abundance. Yet so many of us are feeling unsatisfied. Why are we seemingly so insatiable? Do you feel that marketing has led to people feeling unsatisfied and not having enough in life? If so, what actions can marketers take to create a world where people feel that they have enough, and they are enough? Can we re-imagine what marketing looks like and how it makes people feel?
In this interview series, we are talking to experts in marketing and branding to discuss how we might re-imagine marketing to make it more authentic, sustainable, and promote more satisfaction. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Charley Tichenor.
Charley has been in the online marketing world for over 10 years and is one of the top 100 advertisers on Facebook. He built a career running agencies and brands, with a client list that includes more than a handful of Fortune 500 and Inc Fastest Growing companies. He is the founder of Disrupter School, which is the world’s premier resource for digital marketing and business development training.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to know how you got from “there to here.” Inspire us with your backstory! What lessons would you share with yourself if you had the opportunity to meet your younger self?
Great question, and thank you for the opportunity. 1st, I would say that those things that make us different can also be our superpowers. Being neurodivergent isn’t a curse, it has been a gift, because no one solves problems like you do. Also, I would say that every experience makes us who we are. Today, life is a dream come true, every hard day and every perceived failure will out you in a position to be one of the best in the world!
None of us are able to experience success without support along the way. Is there a particular person for whom you are grateful for that support to grow you from “there to here?” Can you share that story and why you are grateful for him or her?
I can honestly say I’ve had a few of those in my life. But I’d like to call out Shana, she was my boss when I was the supervisor of Facebook ads for Nissan, CBS & Henkel with a 7 figure budget. I once was completely overwhelmed and confused, and I asked her for help… she pulled off her headphones and told me to check my job description and went back to work. While she could be thought of as my “worst boss ever” she also gave me the motivation and confidence to be self-reliant. I had the choice to be “a victim” or I could choose take the opportunity to create my own path. My career was different after that day, and since then I have been relied upon to define best practices that have been taught to countless marketers around the world.
What day-to-day structures do you have in place for you to experience a fulfilled life?
I start every day sharing time with my wife and dogs. I get to spend my days helping people around the world to achieve their dreams and create jobs for others. I have the luxury of using my waking hours giving the gift of support and guidance that I was once denied, and I couldn’t be happier when my day is done!
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think it might help people?
I am building Disrupter School. What started as a boutique Facebook ad agency training program, has evolved into a singular resource to help people with digital marketing, business development, entrepreneurship, consumer psychology and many other skills. Every day I get to help people move from a place of insecurity and doubt, to a place of more success and less stress!
Ok, thank you for sharing your inspired life. Now let’s discuss marketing. To begin, can you share with our readers a bit about why you are an authority on marketing?
Simply put, I’ve spent 100s of millions of dollars on Facebook ads and I’ve been doing that since its very infancy. I’ve helped design how the platform works and over the last 5 years I’ve been involved in the development and scaling of 5 different 8 & 9 figure businesses. My students and clients have driven well over a billion dollars in revenue, and I’m just getting started!
Throughout history, marketing has driven trade for humans. What role do you see that marketing played to get human societies where we are today?
I see marketing as a requirement to inspire change because change is uncomfortable and often is met with resistance, sometimes passionately, but it’s also how we grow and improve. We see the impacts of market research, human psychology, economics, and creating solutions to meet needs every single day. From science to politics, human migration to entertainment, I honestly can’t think of a single aspect of human society today that hasn’t been crafted and shaped by marketing.
I work in marketing so I’m very cognizant of this question. What role does marketing play in creating the human experience of “I don’t have enough” even when basic needs such as food, shelter, and clothing are met?
You’re absolutely right, the correlation is undeniable. It’s also undeniable that one of the strongest motivating factors for people is the desire to achieve aspirations. Very often this is done by selling something to someone that gives them access to a perceived improvement in their life. Sadly, this can often encourage folks to make poor decisions with respect to the rest of their Maslov’s Hierarchy of Needs.
What responsibility do marketers have when it comes to people feeling that they aren’t enough?
This is so difficult because there are non-aligned objectives here. Should a business care about the quality of life of its potential customer base? Without question, the answer is yes. But also, all of us as consumers have the responsibility to make decisions that don’t cause harm to ourselves and our loved ones. There is no firm line in the sand of where this accountability shifts from one party to another. Who are we to say that a company shouldn’t be able to meet the needs and wants of its customers because others might be irresponsible? But also, we cannot let predatory situations go unchecked. From Gambling and Fast Food to the Sub Prime Mortgage Crisis and so much more… we can point to examples of this being played out. Ultimately, I have to default to asking those who have the ability to make an influence, to make the best choices they can, because our actions have consequences.
Many 21st-century marketing professionals in a capitalistic society will discuss solving human “pain points” as a way to sell products, services, and other wares successfully. In your opinion or experience, has aggravating pain points led to more pain?
Yes, but also this can lead to more healing and growth. I don’t believe that pain should be avoided at all costs. Much of who we are comes from how we handle pain and adversity. Much of society changing innovation comes from meeting these pain points head-on. How many lives have been saved and changed for the better indefinitely by things like smartphones, aspirin, military technologies like GPS, and bigger moves for the future like green energy in everyday life like solar panels? There is a yin and yang to all things, one of the most exciting things as a marketer is the ability to architect the growth of breakthroughs that change the world.
Different cultures view trade/marketing differently. While some may focus on “pain-points” others may focus on “purpose-points”. How do other cultures differ in how they approach marketing? Please give examples or studies you may know about.
Culturally, we in the western world have for a few generations been at the cutting edge of lifestyle, that many around the world aspire to. I can point to my experience marketing to other countries, that often as an American, the language and positioning that works in the United States has often needed to be modified to not be offensive. That being said, we see the transparency of marketing efforts be far more obfuscated in the United States and Eastern Asia than what is legal in the E.U. I can’t say there are any sweeping generalities that hold true, but I can say marketers need to be conscious of culture because our markets are made of real people, and that fact is very often ignored.
Okay, fantastic. Here is the main question of our interview: It seems as if we have never stopped to question marketing. In your opinion, how can marketing professionals be more responsible for how their advertising shapes our human experience of feeling safe, secure, and knowing that we matter? Based on your experience or research can you please share “Five Ways We Can Re-Imagine The Marketing Industry To Make It More Authentic, Sustainable, And Promote More Satisfaction”?
I love this question, and again, thank you so much. Okay, lets’ get honest, and potentially a bit controversial.
1st… I believe that the accountability and transparency we see in Europe is something I’d like to see more globally. It is far too easy for those with malicious intent to cause harm and profit from the abuse of others.
2nd.. I’d love for certain “old style thinking” marketing data points to be deprecated, most specifically interest groups, behavior targeting and CRM exploitation. These not only allow for malicious actors to craft harmful messaging in a very impactful way, but it also comes at the expense of the success that many good faith marketers deserve. These efforts are more expensive and less stable resources that harm the business bottom line for brands around the world.
3rd… Education matters. I would love to see more support for those who abuse gambling, drinking, food, smoking, medicine, credit etc. As a man with 10 years of sobriety after a nearly fatal battle with drugs and alcohol, I can see the impact of even the little efforts made by the “Truth” campaign and the “War on Sugar”. 4th… Ad agency models are built on the abuse of employees. The marketing industry, just like nearly every other one in our country is one where the wage gap is effectively criminal. For example, at that job I mentioned earlier with Shana, I routinely worked 10–14 hour days, and in a single day I routinely would produce 100s of thousands of dollars of profit, and I was paid $75k. That pay is AMAZING, but its also a small fraction of my addition to my employer, and is considerably more than many make today. It is not uncommon to see employment situations where a team of underpaid, poorly trained and overworked employees work at a fraction of the profit they create for those in ownership and management. Lastly, and this might be controversial, I think the concept of privacy is great, but the current privacy policies are a great example of marketing used to give a weighted advantage to specific businesses over others and creates a lower quality online experience for many.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.
About The Interviewer: For 30 years, Drew Gerber has been inspiring those who want to change the world. Drew is the CEO of Wasabi Publicity, Inc., a full-service PR agency lauded by PR Week and Good Morning America. Wasabi Publicity, Inc. is a global marketing company that supports industry leaders, change agents, unconventional thinkers, companies and organizations that strive to make a difference. Whether it’s branding, traditional PR or social media marketing, every campaign is instilled with passion, creativity and brilliance to powerfully tell their clients’ story and amplify their intentions in the world. Schedule a free consultation at WasabiPublicity.com/Choosing-Publicity
Marketing Re-Imagined: Charley Tichenor On How We Can Re-Imagine The Marketing Industry To Make It… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.