--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Marketing is neither good nor evil." description: "\"Marketing is neither good nor evil.\" — Paula Scher" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/498/paula-scher-7840_customer_marketing-is-neither-good-nor-evil-10898_1089886.png" --- # Marketing is neither good nor evil. ![“Marketing is neither good nor evil.” quote by Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/498/paula-scher-7840_customer_marketing-is-neither-good-nor-evil-10898_1089886.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/498/paula-scher-7840_customer_marketing-is-neither-good-nor-evil-10898_1089886.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/498/paula-scher-7840_customer_marketing-is-neither-good-nor-evil-10898_1089886.png) > “Marketing is neither good nor evil.” [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. States that marketing itself is neutral, with moral value determined by its application and intent. **In simple terms:** Marketing is neutral; good or bad depends on use. Key Takeaway Use marketing responsibly. Themes ethics communication influence Mood thoughtful critical Type ethical professional When to use this quote - advertising campaigns - brand strategy - public relations Key Concepts neutrality intent impact Questions to Reflect On - How can marketers ensure ethical practices? - What responsibilities accompany influence? A Different Perspective May ignore systemic effects of persuasion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-evil/) [Marketing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketing/) [Marketing Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketing-good-2430304/) ## Related quotes > [Marketing is a very good thing, but it shouldn't control everything. It should be the tool, not that which dictates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-roeg/marketing-is-a-very-good-thing-but-it-shouldn-t-control-everything-it/) [Nicolas Roeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-roeg/) > [After all the statistics and calculations are formulated, the one element that breathes life into marketing is good design.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/after-all-the-statistics-and-calculations-are-formulated-the-one/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I was never very good at marketing myself, I was very good at being explosive and making sense of something in the chaos around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldie/i-was-never-very-good-at-marketing-myself-i-was-very-good-at-being/) [Goldie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldie/) > [Your work gets destroyed by dumb people and it gets enhanced by smart people and it really doesn't have anything to do with marketing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/your-work-gets-destroyed-by-dumb-people-and-it-gets-enhanced-by-smart/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [In fine, a life of good or evil, the hope of Heaven or the despair of Hell, Faustus stands as a reminder that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-fine-a-life-of-good-or-evil-the-hope-of-heaven-or-the-despair-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness. —ISAIAH 5:20”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-cahn/woe-to-those-who-call-evil-good-and-good-evil-who-put-darkness-for/) [Jonathan Cahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-cahn/) > [What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-done-out-of-love-always-takes-place-beyond-good-and-evil/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the struggle of good against evil, it's always the people who get killed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/in-the-struggle-of-good-against-evil-it-s-always-the-people-who-get/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [I believe it's true that there's good and evil in everyone and it's a constant struggle to have your better angels prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-friedkin/i-believe-it-s-true-that-there-s-good-and-evil-in-everyone-and-it-s-a/) [William Friedkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-friedkin/) > [The meaning of good and bad, of better and worse, is simply helping or hurting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-meaning-of-good-and-bad-of-better-and-worse-is-simply-helping-or/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I will not live out of me I will not see with others' eyes My good is good, my evil ill I would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-will-not-live-out-of-me-i-will-not-see-with-others-eyes-my-good-is/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In years to come, he would be a giver of bread, not a stealer - proof again of the contradictory human being. So much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/in-years-to-come-he-would-be-a-giver-of-bread-not-a-stealer-proof/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [There surely is in human nature an inherent propensity to extract all the good out of all the evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-haydon/there-surely-is-in-human-nature-an-inherent-propensity-to-extract-all/) [Benjamin Haydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-haydon/) > [“He was not Evil, for even Evil has a certain vitality — Bel-Shamharoth was the flip side of the coin of which Good and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/he-was-not-evil-for-even-evil-has-a-certain-vitality-bel-shamharoth/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## More by Paula Scher > [Your work gets destroyed by dumb people and it gets enhanced by smart people and it really doesn't have anything to do with marketing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/your-work-gets-destroyed-by-dumb-people-and-it-gets-enhanced-by-smart/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [What makes me say "wow" is usually something I haven't encountered, in a new way... something I haven't encountered before or something I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/what-makes-me-say-wow-is-usually-something-i-haven-t-encountered-in-a/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [I find that I'm at my least creative point when I am doing something that I've done in repetition and I know all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/i-find-that-i-m-at-my-least-creative-point-when-i-am-doing-something/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [I think Apple is a wonderful example of spectacular marketing and I love having my iPod. There are the naysayers who say that "nyah,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/i-think-apple-is-a-wonderful-example-of-spectacular-marketing-and-i/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [I've become much more interested in architecture than I've ever been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/i-ve-become-much-more-interested-in-architecture-than-i-ve-ever-been/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [Some people are in stultifying environments where there are rigid rules and rituals and they need that to thrive, where other people are just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/some-people-are-in-stultifying-environments-where-there-are-rigid/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [Planning is design. As a designer what I tend to do, and what's different from being a painter, is that I interact with other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/planning-is-design-as-a-designer-what-i-tend-to-do-and-what-s/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [Great design is serious, not solemn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/great-design-is-serious-not-solemn/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [I love that the level of mediocrity rises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/i-love-that-the-level-of-mediocrity-rises/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [Words have meaning, type has spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/words-have-meaning-type-has-spirit/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [Beige is the color of indecision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/beige-is-the-color-of-indecision/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [To me what really matters is that it shouldn't matter to you what day of the week it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/to-me-what-really-matters-is-that-it-shouldn-t-matter-to-you-what-day/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [If people that made products didn't market them and sell them we'd have no economy and nobody would be working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/if-people-that-made-products-didn-t-market-them-and-sell-them-we-d/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [Planning involves considering how other people may use something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/planning-involves-considering-how-other-people-may-use-something/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) > [I'm most proud of the fact that I get to keep growing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/i-m-most-proud-of-the-fact-that-i-get-to-keep-growing/) [Paula Scher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) [Explore all 87 Paula Scher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/) ## More Customer quotes > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [Don't think OF the market. Think AS the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fishman/don-t-think-of-the-market-think-as-the-market/) [Michael Fishman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-fishman/) > [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/) [Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/) > [The exact details of how you practice value investing will vary investor to investor, but the fundamental principle of scouring the world, looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/the-exact-details-of-how-you-practice-value-investing-will-vary/) [Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/) > [The best way to hold customers is to constantly figure out how to give them more for less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/the-best-way-to-hold-customers-is-to-constantly-figure-out-how-to/) [Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/) > [Perhaps the most important reason to be skeptical of government inflation numbers is that the government, like a fox campaigning to guard a hen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/perhaps-the-most-important-reason-to-be-skeptical-of-government/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [When the dollar collapses, it's not doing it in a vacuum. If the dollar loses value, it's doing so relative to some other currency.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/when-the-dollar-collapses-it-s-not-doing-it-in-a-vacuum-if-the-dollar/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [Corporations invest in sophisticated CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, programs to effectively oversee their relationship with their customers at every point during the buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ostrofsky/corporations-invest-in-sophisticated-crm-or-customer-relationship/) [Marc Ostrofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ostrofsky/) > [I believe confusion is good. Worldwide market leaders gain when there is confusion in the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subhash-chandra/i-believe-confusion-is-good-worldwide-market-leaders-gain-when-there/) [Subhash Chandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subhash-chandra/) > [Damn inflation, full speed ahead,' Greenspan has said in both action and word. I think an investor should believe him and invest accordingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gross/damn-inflation-full-speed-ahead-greenspan-has-said-in-both-action-and/) [Bill Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gross/) > [“When companies get big, they devote most of their care and feeding to the business that got them big. This is as it should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schmidt/when-companies-get-big-they-devote-most-of-their-care-and-feeding-to/) [Eric Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schmidt/) > [“Salesmanship is usually the art of making it the prospect’s problem, the salesperson’s need or desire to earn money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/salesmanship-is-usually-the-art-of-making-it-the-prospect-s-problem/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) [Browse all 9,257 Customer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Marketing is neither good nor evil.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paula Scher" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/marketing-is-neither-good-nor-evil/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Customer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/marketing-is-neither-good-nor-evil/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/498/paula-scher-7840_customer_marketing-is-neither-good-nor-evil-10898_1089886.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/498/paula-scher-7840_customer_marketing-is-neither-good-nor-evil-10898_1089886.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/498/paula-scher-7840_customer_marketing-is-neither-good-nor-evil-10898_1089886.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Marketing is neither good nor evil.” — Paula Scher", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Paula Scher", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-scher/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Marketing is neither good nor evil.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/marketing-is-neither-good-nor-evil/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-scher/marketing-is-neither-good-nor-evil/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```