Make Happiness.

I've learned that the happiest people aren't just happy; they generate happiness. Such is the way with marketing. I believe that people who generate happiness make terrific marketers.

Yep. We are a happy-go-lucky bunch. We get to sell products and services that promise happiness, beauty, pleasure, smiles, and fun. We are in the smile business. Our customers have a need and when we deliver what we've promised, they smile. When things go wrong and their expectations aren't met, the happiness fades. However, you still have an opportunity to make it right and try to make them happy again. You become a generator of happiness, and when it works, it's very satisfying for everyone. That's when you should stop for a moment and take a look around at all the smiles you've made, and I promise you'll smile too! In seeking happiness for others, you often find it for yourself.

Just like Star Wars, there's a dark side in marketing.

Not all marketers generate smiles. In fact, many marketers primarily leverage fear to sell their products and services, and it is powerful. Rather than evoking feelings of happiness, they make prospects feel insecure, uncomfortable, and unsafe in order to sell their products. Fear can be a tremendous motivator. For example, I once learned of an advertising campaign for a life insurance company that showed a picture of a mom and baby in a car with a huge Mack truck in the rearview mirror. There was fear on the mother's face, and the caption said something like, "Buy life insurance before it's too late." That's terrible, right? Well, it's not my preference, but reportedly the campaign was very effective.

Selling on fear may work in some situations, but at what cost? Is a spike in sales worthwhile if your brand is continuously associated with negative emotions? Selling life insurance is already based on the topic of dying, but is the threat of death the right message? There's a positive side of life insurance too, which can promise feelings of family legacy, trust, security, and peace of mind. Steering clear of fear reduces the urgency, but over the long haul, I believe that taking the high road with a more positive and sensitive message can create goodwill with prospects and customers—and eventually, the happiness you generate will catch up with you!