Ads Won’t Save Weak Product

Hey!

There was a time when advertising was the business model.

And it’s true. You could slap a jingle on a mediocre detergent, flood TV with spots, and boom — market leader. Not because the product was great, but because the customer had no alternatives. They didn’t know better.

Back then, you could win with an OK product and a killer ad. That era is over.

The Game Has Changed

Today, you can’t outshout a bad product. You can’t outspend a broken pricing model. And you definitely can’t fool TikTok.

During a recent trainee program presentation, someone asked a classic question: “Can a good ad save a bad product?” My short answer? No. Better question? Why the hell should it?

Marketing Is Bigger Than Advertising

Let’s get this straight.

Marketing and advertising aren’t the same thing. If they were, we’d only need one job title.

Marketing is the full engine — product, price, place, promotion. If any of those parts are broken, the whole thing sputters.

Advertising, on the other hand, is the loudspeaker. It takes the USP and communicates it.

That’s only easy if the USP actually exists. If you’re pushing a weak product with no real story, the ad isn’t going to save you. It’s going to expose you.

The Old Formula That No Longer Works

Here’s how brands used to win.

You’d build something generic — a me-too product for a growing market. You’d price it based on competitors and slot it neatly between Brand A and Brand B. You’d throw a celebrity in the ad and make the customer feel something aspirational:

• Buy this JIF peanut butter, you’re a better parent.

• Buy this Jaguar, you’re the hottest middle-aged man in the room.

Then, you’d rely on distribution to get your product in front of people more often than your competition.

This worked when the average consumer had five TV channels, limited information, and trust baked into every ad they saw.

A Smarter Consumer with More Power

Today’s consumer lives in a different world. They have unlimited choices — not just locally, but globally.

Reviews are everywhere, from your website to Reddit threads to a Messenger screenshot shared with a best friend.

Price comparisons take seconds. TikTok doesn’t wait for the brand story — it tells its own.

And if your product is bad, people will find out and tell the world faster than your billboard can go live.

Build Something Worth Talking About

Modern marketing starts with product truth. You don’t need to be for everyone. You need to be exactly right for someone.

The formula?
Find a niche. Build something remarkable for that niche. Then use marketing to amplify what’s already working.

Look at Dollar Shave Club. They didn’t just make razors — they solved the $20 Gillette problem.

They offered a cheaper, simpler subscription model that actually made sense, then packaged it with a smart, funny ad that went viral.

But the ad only worked because the product idea delivered.

Revolut didn’t just dress up banking. It built a 21st-century alternative to an outdated system.

It offered fast, flexible, app-first banking for people who didn’t want to wait in line or deal with legacy nonsense.

The marketing matched the product — sharp, tech-savvy, and brutally efficient.

Reddit isn’t just another social platform.

It’s the internet’s town square — a place where people go to learn, share, argue, and obsess. It solved the algorithm problem by giving people what they actually wanted instead of what machines decided.

When it IPO’d, it wasn’t just riding hype. It was bringing years of community value to the market.

If Your Product Is Good, People Will Find You

This part is crucial.

If what you’ve built is truly valuable, people will search for it. And when they do, smart marketing tools like Google Ads can place you in front of them at the right time.

Keyword targeting still works like magic — not because of the volume, but because of the intent.

When someone is looking for what you offer, and you’re the best answer, it’s a win. You don’t need to shout louder. You need to show up smarter.

Great advertising can amplify a great product. It cannot resurrect a broken business model.

If the core is flawed, the campaign is just noise. Advertising isn’t spin — it’s a spotlight. And if the product doesn’t hold up under that light, the issue isn’t creative. It’s foundational.

That’s my take. Would love to hear your five cents.

Best,
Marti