I constantly see posts from people explaining how tough their job is and how much sweat it takes every day to do work whose value is ignored by everyone.
And then they point fingers at the main culprits of this “slavery”:
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Users or clients who don’t understand the brilliance of the solutions offered (or don’t know how to use them)
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The boss who doesn’t grasp the complexity
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Partners or suppliers who miss the stakes
In short: a nightmare!
The solution that often appears? Marketing! And yes, the role of marketing is to showcase products, services, or functions…
But marketing is not a lamb’s costume to dress up wolves—it’s about intention, sincerity, and authenticity.
Playing the victim?
Pity is often used as a prelude to showcasing value: you set up a victim status, and the options are wide—isolation, discredit, image… all as a supposed preparation for action.
Yet, this approach, which places the “problem” outside oneself, can be perceived as:
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Managerial immaturity, trying—clumsily—to protect their skills or their team
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Or a lack of courage to actually convince stakeholders
In all cases, this stance is toxic for the team and therefore for its output.
The client cannot be the problem—that’s a basic tenet of marketing and commerce.
They may be demanding, fickle, or unaware… and marketing’s job is to educate them, guide them, make them understand, and get their buy-in.
So claiming the client isn’t “up to par”—in essence, that they don’t deserve you—creates misalignment between the team and the client, killing any marketing ambition.
The slope may be steep, but the road is often straight
When we talk about internal marketing, you’re not responsible for what you inherited, but you are responsible for what you do with it.
To borrow a favorite expression at Talisker: you get the clients, managers, and colleagues you deserve!
And, at the risk of sounding like an idealistic optimist, the basis of marketing is authentic intention for the Other.
Yes, there are countless ways to embody that intention: stand by them, listen, understand, help, want their good at all costs… Everyone has their style, but the goal is always the same: understand them to change—just a little—the world around them.
Start where they are
It’s common to have a client base that isn’t yet aware or mature on a subject.
While you’re not responsible for their level of understanding, you can use it as a starting point and commit to raising their awareness.
Use all marketing tools to construct a maturity journey (remember DAGMAR): Know, Understand, Commit, Act!
The further you start, the more you begin with teaching the basics—context, state of the art, innovations, use cases—before gradually promoting your offerings (yes, the same principle applies internally).
Examples I see with my clients across topics:
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“They don’t understand the technology!” → Don’t blame them; even IT leaders struggle. Educate them on AI, blockchain, or cloud usage.
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“They don’t grasp security risks!” → Highlight built-in security and tell real stories, like a security officer losing a USB with Olympic data.
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“They still use email instead of Teams” → Show them alternative tools and best practices; outside examples are more persuasive than internal ones.
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“They don’t know how to use SAP!” → Practical exercises work better than tool tutorials.
Voilà: the clients and users you deserve!
Never complain, always explain
You’ve got it: complaining not only achieves nothing, it undermines the marketing work you’re about to do.
Marketing nurtures your clients’ (internal or external) maturity.
Meet them where they are in their understanding and help them grow.
They will be grateful for:
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Your empathy
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Your contribution to their understanding
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A truly rewarding relationship for everyone!
