During a recent Christmas shopping trip, I found myself watching how people interacted in the busy centre — the displays, the music, the promotions, the decorated entrances. And what stood out wasn’t the products. It was how differently each brand tried to connect with people walking by.
Some felt warm.
Some felt overwhelming.
Some felt confusing.
Some felt like they truly understood the person they were speaking to.
And that’s when it hit me again:
marketing isn’t the sale.
Marketing is the moment in between.
It’s the space where two people meet long before any kind of transaction.
It’s the early conversation.
The gentle pull of recognition — “oh, this speaks to me.”
The sense of feeling understood.
Marketing, in its truest form, is about bringing two people a little closer to each other.
It’s about connection, not conversion.
When we talk about ethical marketing, we’re talking about something very simple:
a human being trying to understand another human being.
Your potential client has needs, desires, worries, hopes.
And your job is to notice them.
To acknowledge them.
To show them that you genuinely see where they’re coming from.
It’s an exchange built on care.
Not pressure.
Not persuasion.
Not urgency.
Just… care.
When you remove the urgency of “I need to make this sale,” you open up space to ask better questions, like:
– What is this person actually struggling with?
– What do they dream of making easier in their life or business?
– What would support look like for them right now?
– Do I have the skills, energy, and values that match what they’re looking for?
And this goes both ways.
It’s not just “Are they the right client?”
It’s also “Am I the right person to help?”
Our values matter.
Our communication style matters.
The way we make decisions matters.
The way we work matters.
Good marketing gives space for both sides to notice whether there’s alignment.
Whether the relationship feels comfortable.
Whether collaboration feels natural.
This is why the best marketing never feels like marketing.
It feels like a conversation.
It feels like clarity.
It feels like recognition — that moment where someone says, “Yes, you get me.”
And when there
isn’t alignment?
Ethical marketing makes room for that too.
Because the goal was never to force a sale.
The goal was always to support clarity, not confusion.
When we take the pressure out of marketing, we’re left with something much more beautiful:
relatability, care, curiosity, and honesty.
Marketing becomes a bridge — not a barrier.
A way of coming closer — not a way of pushing someone into a decision.
And when you think of it this way, everything softens.
Everything becomes more human.
So as we step into a new year, perhaps the deeper question is this:
How do you want your marketing to feel?
Virtually,
Magda