Welcome to Marketing Chronicles. A newsletter where marketers come for expert industry commentary at the intersection of strategy and creativity — every Wednesday sent before daybreak. If you like what you see, join us for free.

In this edition:

• Column: Why Strategists Should Read Philosophy

• Inspiration: March Madness and Jack Gohlke’s NIL Deals

Column: Why Strategists Should Read Philosophy

Since I was a kid my dad exposed me to the world of philosophy.

I was lucky enough to be raised around bookshelves filled to the brims — works from Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Freud, Plato, Dostoevsky, Goethe, Sartre, and endless more.

But it wasn’t until my mid- to late-20s that I’ve decided to begin diving into these works.

And quickly I began appreciating the “love of wisdom”, as the etymology of the word so perfectly describes it.

How Philosophy Got Pushed To The Fringes

Sadly, philosophy became greatly underappreciated in the 20th century.

The American school of thought, largely tied to pragmatism, did not see the value in philosophy. The question always came back to: what can I do with this information?

And very quickly being a philosopher became associated with being passive and not taking action. Thinking just for the sake of thinking wasn’t good enough — you HAD to create change in the world or put it to use to make money somehow.

This sad turn of events led to the over-valuing of ‘gurus’ with “pedestrian” opinions about everything: “here are 10 things you must do to become a better leader”; “the 5 secrets to success”; “learn to code in under 30 days”; “do these 7 things to close more deals”, and so on.

The struggle for knowledge and the length of time I takes to absorb it and make sense of it became something people did not have time for — as the old adage goes “time is money”.

But there’s a fundamental problem with this mentality: the acceleration of our daily lives led the youth astray chasing quick fixes in search of fulfillment.

• Become a manager by 24

• Buy a house by the time you’re 25

• Marry by the time you’re 30

• Have kids by 31

• Become a director by 32

• Travel to every country by 35

• Buy a summer cabin by 45

• Retire by 60

• And the madness goes on…

But philosophers have always known that happiness isn’t something that can ever be achieved — it is nothing but a fleeting moment, much like sadness, anger, and pain.

Philosophy Is For Everyone

While there are significant barriers to reading philosophy (just attempt to read one page of Hagel to understand what I’m talking about), the art of thinking is present all around us.

Walk into a pub and you’ll find tables filled with friends debating politics, relationships, work, and the meaning of life.

Though it might not sound like philosophy, as it certainly isn’t “professional philosophy”, pub philosophy still is the most accessible of its forms as an entry point into the practice of thinking.

I am sure you grew up hearing maxims from your parents and grandparents. Those typically derive from philosophical works of yore, packing dense amounts of truths in them. Take the following, for example:

• "One day you're the hunter, the next day you're the hunted." - General wisdom found in folklore or literature, echoing the sentiments found in the works discussing the nature of fortune, such as those by the ancient Roman philosopher Seneca or the Renaissance writer Machiavelli.

• "All I know is that I know nothing." - This is attributed to Socrates, as recounted by Plato, his student. It's a central tenet of Socratic philosophy that underscores the importance of recognizing one's own ignorance as a starting point for gaining wisdom. This quote epitomizes the Socratic method of questioning everything to gain deeper understanding and knowledge.

• "Ignorance is bliss." - This phrase comes from a poem by Thomas Gray, "Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College" (1742). It's often interpreted to suggest that not knowing about certain problems or truths can be more comfortable than being aware of them.

These simple yet popular maxims permeate our daily lives without our knowing. And oftentimes, help guide us through the meandering path we’ve come to call living.

Putting Thinking To Work

Now, this wouldn’t be a marketing and advertising newsletter if I didn’t tie it back to the profession.

While I’m hesitant in doing this, I do have a few things to say about it.

Much of the decay in advertising quality today can be attributed to the shallow thinking that has taken hold in society.

Qualitative research has been relegated to a “nice to have”. Most brands now just look at the data, and completely forget about the human truths that underpin their work.

Yet, we somehow keep doubling down on this idea that the more data we can get our hands on the better our work will be.

This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Even if strategists and marketers ONLY looked at popular maxims like the above, we’d still be getting closer to the core of our messaging than we are today.

Marketers today seem to be struggling with their profession. They are having a hard time coming to terms with what they’ve been asked to do: sell products and services.

Not sell purpose, or a higher value, or a way of life.

Products and services.

And though we have reached a point in which companies lack differentiation, there is still lots of runway left to lean onto human stories as opposed to some manufactured higher purpose — one which CANNOT exist without selling said products and services.

You see, philosophy might do this to you — you begin seeing things for what they are. But there’s beauty in that.

It’s a type of beauty that exposes the world around you. Almost like being awake among sleepwalkers.

And this act of thinking just might be the only “secret” that there truly is. 

One that depends upon looking inwards, wrestling with our demons, and coming out the other side not necessarily changed, but a tiny bit more aware of who we are and what moves people.

📢 Community Shout Out

Interested in more marketing and advertising content or have unanswered questions? All you have to do is the following:

• Share this week’s newsletter on LinkedIn.

• Write something nice about it and add a question.

• Tag me on LinkedIn so I can see it.

I’ll answer it in the post comments and pick someone to give a shout out in my next column!

Inspiration: March Madness and Jack Gohlke’s NIL Deals

Starting in July of 2021, student-athletes in the NCAA were allowed to use their name, image and likeness (aka, NIL) to make money while still in university.

But it wasn’t until this year that we began seeing some incredible NIL partnerships...

Enter the world of Jack Gohlke.

Jack Gohlke is a basketball player for the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, a part of Oakland University Athletics.

He’s been known for being a sharp-shooter. Below is his shooting chart for the ENTIRE 2023-24 season...

But it wasn’t until the Golden Grizzlies SHOCKING win over the stacked #3 ranked University of Kentucky that he Jack Gohlke finally got his flowers...

Jack Gohlke CAUGHT ON FIRE and knocked down 10 THREES to lead the Golden Grizzlies to victory (while only using a total of 3 dribbles).

After the game he said the words that forever changed his life:

This win over Kentucky single-handedly started the legend of Jack Gohlke, the accountant that torches NBA lottery picks:

And TurboTax got a wind of that, signing Gohlke to arguably one of the best NIL deals ever:

But it didn’t stop there. Gohlke signed NIL deals with Buffalo Wild Wings, Oofos and Barstool Sports, as well.

Hats off to those brands that were agile enough to join in the fun.

The internet is a funny place... and is still undefeated.

We love you, Jack!

More of PPA:

• 🤝 Connect with Pedro on LinkedIn and/or X

• 🍻 Come by the WJ office for a brew

• 💌 In case you missed it:

  • The Strategist’s Paradox

  • How To Create Billboards That Drive Results

  • How B2B Buyers Make Decisions Emotionally

PPA