In Gary Vee’s latest YouTube video, he delivers a sharp critique of the marketing industry, pointing out how far it has drifted from its core focus: the consumer. He calls out outdated metrics, inflated costs, and misguided notions of brand safety that prioritize vanity over value.
Gary doesn’t mince words about the content being produced today, saying much of it isn’t something real people want to consume. Millions are wasted on campaigns designed for metrics, not meaningful connections. His message is clear: the industry needs to stop clinging to outdated practices and start creating authentic, consumer-first content. It’s a call to rethink marketing in a world where relevance and attention are everything.
The Pricing Paradox in Traditional Media
Consider this absurdity: in an era where virtually every passenger in a car is glued to their phone, outdoor advertising prices have increased rather than decreased. Print advertising costs continue to rise despite plummeting readership. We’re still using an antiquated model that charges eight times circulation rates for print ads, based on the fantasy that magazines get passed around like prized possessions.
The industry has become masterful at measuring potential reach while ignoring actual engagement. We’ve created elaborate justifications for ineffective spending, convincing ourselves that below-the-fold banner ads and unread print pages somehow deliver value.
The False Promise of Brand Safety
The conversation around brand safety has become increasingly divorced from reality. Many corporate decisions about brand safety are based on personal beliefs rather than consumer behavior and data. We’ve created an artificial crisis while ignoring how consumers interact with content.
What platform on earth is not pushing fear? Social media and mainstream media are a really fun variable. Mainstream media decides what’s going to be on TV. Social media is all humans in an empty vessel sharing what they put out.
The Path to Consumer-Centric Marketing
The solution isn’t complicated, but it requires courage. We need to return to consumer-centric marketing. This means:
- Creating content people actually want to watch
- Removing unnecessary branding constraints
- Focusing on actual engagement rather than potential reach
- Making decisions based on consumer behavior, not boardroom theories
The obsession with brand guidelines and authenticity often misses the point. Brands aren’t human – they can’t be authentic. But they can be consumer-centric. They can create value and engage meaningfully with their audience.
The Cost of Ignoring Reality
The marketing industry’s refusal to acknowledge changing consumer behaviors is costly. We’re seeing startup brands outflank established corporations because they’re willing to meet consumers where they are, rather than where marketing textbooks say they should be.
The industry is flawed in three critical ways:
- Its romance with yesterday’s methods
- Its obsession with tomorrow’s possibilities
- Its inability to excel at today’s requirements
A Call for Change
The path forward requires brutal honesty and a willingness to challenge established practices. We need to stop pretending that ineffective traditional methods still work. We need to question why we’re paying premium prices for diminishing returns.
Success in modern marketing demands an unwavering focus on consumer behavior and preferences. It requires letting go of vanity metrics and embracing real engagement. Most importantly, it requires the courage to say no to practices that don’t serve the consumer, even when they’re industry standards.
The future belongs to marketers who prioritize actual consumer engagement over potential reach, who create content worth consuming rather than interrupting, and who base decisions on real-world behavior rather than boardroom theories. It’s time to bring common sense back to marketing.