COMMENTS
I think people in general (marketers specifically) are catching on.
What worked in the 70's, isn't going to fly today. I think marketers are realizing (and if they are smart-respecting) that people are overloaded with information. Attention is scarce and it's better to go after someone who needs your services rather than torment the masses.
I'll try to clean this up so as not to offend anyone.
There's 2 guys walking down the street:
-Guy #1 keeps walking up to women, quietly whispers something to them, and then gets slapped.
-His friend, Guy #2, watches in disbelief as this scenario replays itself again and again, and he asks his friend "What are you saying to make those women slap you?"
-Guy #1 replies, "I ask them if they want to enjoy a bit of the old in & out."
-Guy #2 says, "You sure get slapped a lot!"
-Guy #1 says, "Yeah, but I get a lot of the old in & out too"
That joke reminds me a lot of the old style marketers that take the brute force approach. I'm not sure who is responding to the old style marketers but someone must be. I still get spammed daily with emails and phone solicitations.
My name is Robert and I work for an advertising agency.
I cant help but relate to (and resemble) this clip of Bill Hick's (RIP) and I love his comedy, dark though it may be, as a matter of taste.
The issue he's getting at it, I think, is more of a 'sales' thing than an advertising thing. When people have a real need for something, they go shopping and find it. This is when your marketing (when done correctly) works. If you have to suspend someones better judgement long enough to make them believe they need your product/service, then you have become what the clip suggests.
I don't believe that all marketers are evil. People need the products and services that companies offer, and companies need to communicate those offerings to customers.
That said, I resonate with the sentiment behind the comedian's frustration and also appreciate your distinction of inbound vs. outbound. I am a marketer who particularly loathes interruptive advertising. Billboards, commercials, ad fliers screaming BUY BUY BUY etc. Makes me feel like a piece of meat and interrupts my thoughts.
However, I particularly enjoy being shown a product and its benefits by someone I trust, especially if the product works for them. Social media does this. I ask my friends about purchases and look at reviews. But if I come across a particularly annoying commercial (FreeCreditReport.com for example), I'll go out of my way *not* to buy the product.
See this cartoon, also: http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/archives/002843.html
Marketing is more complex than outbound vs. inbound. When considering extending into new markets, establishing strong brand recognition, building existing relationships, gaining repeat sales, seeking a competitive edge, educating a demographic, correcting a misconception, seeking short term sales relationship etc. the successful salesperson/marketer chooses from all the tools available because one tool does not meet all needs. Indeed the marketer is innately motivated to continue to innovate new ways to convince others of the virtues of their wares. If we could get away with adding a chemical to the water such that people had a disposition towards our product, we'd do it. As a group one might therefore consider us evil by virtue of our apparently unbounded motivations. Not only are we evil we are also unnecessary - the world probably would be better off without us - selling stuff people don't really need.