In an industry constantly chasing the “next new thing”—AI, automation, growth hacks, viral tactics—it’s easy to forget a simple truth:
The fundamentals of good marketing don’t change.
That’s why This Is Marketing, first published in 2018, still resonates so strongly today. Seth Godin didn’t write a book about tactics or tools. He wrote about principles—and principles endure far longer than platforms.
At Direct Choice, many of the ideas Godin articulates aren’t new to us. In fact, they’ve guided our work for over 30 years, long before digital channels, social media, or marketing automation existed.
Four of those principles, in particular, continue to define how effective brands grow—and how we help them do it.
1. Trust Is the Most Valuable Currency in Marketing
Attention is everywhere. Trust is not.
Godin argues that modern marketing succeeds only when it’s built on trust—earned slowly, reinforced consistently, and never taken for granted. This is especially true in regulated and high-stakes categories like healthcare, insurance, financial services, and nonprofits.
At Direct Choice, trust has always been the foundation of our work:
- Trust between brands and consumers
- Trust between organizations and patients, members, donors, or customers
- Trust between our clients and us as long-term strategic partners
That’s why our approach has never been about one-off campaigns or short-term wins. We design customer journeys—acquisition, onboarding, engagement, retention—that respect the audience and reward loyalty over time.
Because once trust is broken, no amount of clever creative or media spend can fix it.
2. Stories Move People—Not Tactics
People don’t make decisions based solely on data, features, or price. They make decisions based on the stories they tell themselves.
Godin reminds marketers that our job isn’t to invent new narratives—it’s to understand the stories our audiences already believe and communicate in ways that align with them.
For decades, Direct Choice has focused on:
- Translating complex offerings into human stories
- Framing decisions in ways that feel safe, empowering, and personal
- Helping audiences see themselves in the outcome
Whether it’s a patient navigating a diagnosis, a Medicare-eligible individual choosing coverage, or a donor deciding where to give, the story matters.
Data informs the strategy—but story makes it actionable.
3. Be Brave: Focus Beats Mass Appeal
One of Godin’s most challenging ideas is also one of the most important:
If you try to reach everyone, you reach no one.
Effective marketing requires courage—the courage to:
- Focus on a specific audience
- Take a clear point of view
- Accept that some people are not your customer
This is a principle Direct Choice has lived by since day one. Our work has always prioritized precision over volume:
- The right audience, not the biggest list
- The right message, not the loudest one
- The right channels, not every channel
In competitive, regulated markets, playing it safe is often the riskiest move. Brands that stand for something—and communicate it clearly—are the ones that grow.
4. Ethical Marketing Isn’t Optional
Godin is clear that marketers shape behavior and culture—and that comes with responsibility.
Ethical marketing means:
- Respecting the audience
- Avoiding manipulation or fear-based shortcuts
- Being transparent about value and intent
- Designing communications that help people make informed decisions
At Direct Choice, ethical marketing isn’t a philosophy—it’s a requirement. Our clients operate in environments governed by compliance, privacy, and trust, and we embrace those constraints rather than fight them.
Because ethical marketing doesn’t limit results. It protects them—long term.
Why These Principles Still Matter Today
Technology will continue to change. Platforms will come and go. Algorithms will shift.
But the core questions remain the same:
- Do people trust you?
- Does your story resonate?
- Are you brave enough to focus?
- Are you marketing in a way you’d be proud to stand behind?
These are the questions Seth Godin challenges marketers to ask—and the same ones Direct Choice has been answering for over three decades.
In Closing
For more than 30 years, Direct Choice has helped brands:
- Build trust in complex, regulated markets
- Tell stories that motivate real behavior change
- Focus on the audiences that matter most
- Design ethical, data-driven, multi-channel marketing systems that deliver results
If your brand is ready to move beyond tactics and apply marketing principles that actually endure, we’d love to talk.
Let’s build marketing that earns trust, tells better stories, and creates lasting impact.
