“The Best Marketing Doesn’t Feel Like Marketing”: What Does It Really Mean?

“The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing.” — Tom Fishburne

About Tom Fishburne

Tom Fishburne, also known as The Marketoonist, is a marketer, author, and cartoonist known for using humor and cartoons to share insights about marketing, branding, and business. His work encourages marketers to think differently about how brands connect with people.

We see marketing everywhere.

Ads interrupt our videos. Brands fill our social feeds. Emails land in our inboxes. Promotions compete for our attention every time we shop.

And yet, some of the marketing we remember most doesn’t feel like advertising at all.

It might be a helpful recommendation, an entertaining social post, a memorable in-store experience, or a brand message that arrives at exactly the right moment.

That’s the idea behind Tom Fishburne’s famous quote: the most effective marketing often happens when customers are focused on the experience, not the fact that they are being marketed to.

Marketing Should Add Value, Not Just Ask for Attention

Traditional marketing often starts with a simple question:

“How do we get people to notice us?”

But today, attention is harder to earn. Consumers are constantly exposed to messages, promotions, and branded content. Simply being louder doesn't necessarily make a brand more memorable.

Instead, brands should ask:

“What can we give people that makes their experience better?”

It could be information that helps them make a decision. Entertainment that makes them smile. A useful recommendation. A convenient service. Or even a small surprise that makes their visit more enjoyable. When marketing adds value, it becomes less of an interruption and more of a natural part of the customer experience.

Think about the last time you discovered a product without actively looking for it.

Maybe you heard about it from a friend. Saw it featured in a store. Came across a short video that made you curious. Or noticed a recommendation while browsing.

You weren't necessarily thinking, “I want to see an advertisement.”

You were simply going about your day, and the brand became part of that experience.

This is where marketers can rethink the role of communication.

The goal isn't to interrupt the journey, it's to enhance it.

Great Marketing Creates a Feeling

People may forget the exact words of an advertisement. But they often remember how a brand made them feel.

This is why marketing and customer experience are increasingly connected. Every interaction with a brand can influence how customers perceive it—from the social media post they see before visiting, to the music and messaging they hear inside the store, to the service they receive at checkout.

Marketing isn't only what you say about your brand. It's what people experience because of your brand.

One of the simplest ways to make marketing feel less like marketing is to shift the conversation.

Instead of constantly saying:

“Buy this.”

Show customers:

“Here’s something you might enjoy.”

Instead of:

“Look at our promotion.”

Communicate:

“Here’s a better way to enjoy your visit.”

Instead of:

“We have a new product.”

Give people a reason to care about it.

This doesn't mean brands should stop selling. Marketing still needs to drive awareness, consideration, and ultimately sales. The difference is in how you get there.

When communication starts with the customer's needs rather than the brand's need to promote, it becomes more relevant—and relevance is what makes marketing feel less intrusive.

So, What Does the Quote Really Mean?

It doesn't mean that customers shouldn't know they're interacting with a brand.

It means the interaction should feel relevant, natural, useful, entertaining, or rewarding—rather than feeling like an interruption. The strongest marketing doesn't fight for attention. It earns attention.

And when brands stop thinking only about how to promote themselves and start thinking about how to improve the customer's experience, marketing becomes something people don't just notice.

They appreciate it. They remember it. And sometimes, they even look forward to it.