The greatest marketers of all time have been Steve Jobs, Mary Kay Ash, Helen Lansdowne, David Oglivy, James S Bell, and Seth Godin. These individuals have been able to stand the test of time by utilizing the best practices behind the most successful marketing strategies. From community building to growth hacking, these principles will always be valid. Plato is considered one of the most important figures in the development of Western philosophy.
He was the founder of the Academy of Athens, the first institution of higher education in the Western world. He is also known for being one of the founders of Western religion and spirituality, in particular Christianity. Plato was an entrepreneur and leader, but what made him a great marketer? He focused on educating his audience to build movements. John Brinkley was by far the most controversial marketer on the list. Known as the “goat gland doctor”, Brinkley fraudulently claimed to be a doctor and promoted his procedure—xenotransplantation of goat testicles to humans—as a cure for male impotence.
What made him a great marketer was his invention of television advertising, almost by accident. He built a radio station in 1923 where he combined entertainment (he reserves some of the great country music acts of his time), Bible readings and a strong sense of memorable phrase. He invented “infotainment” long before it was a word. Dale Carnegie was an American writer, lecturer and developer of famous courses in self-improvement, sales, corporate training, public speaking and interpersonal skills. He was the author of How to Win Friends and Influence People (193), a bestseller that is still popular today, as well as several other books.
He may be known today as one of the best salespeople in history, but he was also an excellent marketer because he focused on interpersonal relationships and valuing people. He was an expert in communication, a fundamental skill for any marketing function. Ray Kroc is credited with making a series of innovative changes to the food service franchise model, turning McDonald's into the fast food company it is today. In particular, he wanted consistency in service and quality across all McDonald's locations. What made him a great marketer was his dedication to his loyal customers.
He famously wrote a letter to Walt Disney seeking to place a McDonald's in Disneyland but refused to agree on a 5-cent increase in the price of French fries for Disney's benefit because he didn't want to uproot his loyal customers. Walt Disney expanded his media company to a production studio and several theme parks. To create a truly extraordinary Disney World that could literally market itself, Walt Disney had corporate and park employees ride on attractions before opening to the public. He believed in applying authenticity to magical experiences and cared deeply about details and quality. He created experiences that promoted themselves. Steve Jobs was one of the most innovative marketers of all time.
He embraced the value of standing out: being unique, breaking the status quo. He focused on creating the best possible designs, knowing that they would sell themselves. He kept his marketing messages mysterious and focused on the movement they created. He embraced being different and coveted things of beauty, and that was reflected in everything he did. Gary Vaynerchuk is one of the best-known experts in digital marketing.
He began his business journey in early childhood and jumped on the fast-growing Internet technology bandwagon in the late 90s. He was one of the first in the e-commerce niche and one of the first marketing influencers to flourish on YouTube with his own programs. He is also one of the best-selling marketing authors, angel investor, public speaker and owner of digital marketing agency VaynerMedia. Neil Patel is THE true guru of digital marketing, especially when it comes to search engines and content marketing. He is the leading force in SEO education and was ranked as one of the top 10 digital influencers according to Forbes.
The best thing about Neil Patel is that he doesn't just talk: he's tried everything he teaches in practice as a co-founder of Crazy Egg, HelloBar, Kissmetrics and more. Larry Kim is an influencer, online marketing expert, digital marketing coach, as well as CEO and founder of MobileMonkey and WordStream, both of which are known to most marketers. He is also one of Medium's main contributors and has been at the top of the charts for top digital marketing influencers for some time now. These are just some examples from history who have been able to stand out from their peers by utilizing their knowledge in marketing principles such as community building, growth hacking or interpersonal relationships. If you want to learn from these greats or become an expert yourself in digital marketing strategies such as SEO or content marketing then you should definitely check out our top 15 digital marketing gurus to follow in this new decade!.
