Chapter 15: Boundaries and Limitations — Marketing is Not Magic

1. Marketing Cannot Solve a “Bad Product”

If your quality is poor, premium ads just result in more “one-time victims.” The highest level of marketing is the product itself.

2. Marketing Cannot Solve “Wrong Pricing”

If your competitor sells for $100 and you sell for $300 without a brand justification, no ad format can save you. Price is one of the strongest marketing signals.

3. Brand in Action: Quibi’s Billion-Dollar Collapse

Background: In 2020, Quibi raised $1.75 Billion for a mobile-only short-form streaming service. Marketing: They were everywhere—Super Bowl ads, every billboard in NYC. The Fall: They shut down in 6 months. Why?: Their product logic was flawed (no screenshotting, no TV app). Because their marketing was so good, millions downloaded it, realized it was bad, and left immediately. The marketing accelerated the negative word-of-mouth.

Next Chapter: Chapter 16: How to Keep Learning. The path to evolution.