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Marketing’s Origin Story: The Good, The Bad, And The Colonial

Author: Moh Al-Haifi
Co-Author: Isabelle Drury
Contributors: Odette Bester, Lee Fitzpatrick, Zac Schaap

Marketing, as we understand it today, is a product of centuries of human exchange. While its earliest forms were rooted in trade and community, its evolution is also steeped in exploitation, colonialism, and hyper-capitalism. 

To truly understand marketing’s trajectory, and its potential for good, we must grapple with its “dirty” history, shaped by power dynamics, extraction, and cultural dominance.

Early Beginnings Of Marketing

While the formal concept of marketing didn’t exist in ancient times, systems of trade and commerce were sophisticated, culturally embedded processes that shaped societies. 

In pre-colonial Africa, for instance, trade networks such as the trans-Saharan trade routes were active from around 500 A.D. until the late 19th century, connecting West African empires to North Africa and the Mediterranean.1 These routes facilitated the exchange of gold, salt, ivory, and other goods. Similarly, in Southeast Asia, the Austronesian maritime trade network, established as early as 1500 BCE, linked the region with Southern India and Sri Lanka, forming early foundations for the Maritime Silk Road.2

Across these contexts, pre-colonial marketing and trade prioritised relational connections, communal welfare, and the symbolic value of goods, emphasising long-term relationships and social cohesion over profit maximisation.3

These practices evolved differently across cultures. In the Mediterranean, Herodotus documented the rise of “silent trade,” a form of barter where parties exchanged goods without direct interaction—a clever workaround for language barriers (or perhaps just ancient awkwardness). The Lydians later revolutionised trade by introducing gold and silver coins in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). These coins spread through Greek cities, streamlining commerce and setting a foundation for monetary systems. Still, this was just one expression of trade among many global approaches.

As communities became more complex, specialised skills led to natural divisions of labour. This made production more efficient—after all, one person couldn’t craft tools, weave textiles, and tend crops all at once. However, this separation also created a gap between producers and consumers. To bridge these divides, intermediaries emerged, adapting to the unique social and economic contexts of their respective cultures.

Philosophers like Plato and Aristotle observed these shifts and posed questions that continue to resonate: How do economic systems impact social cohesion? What makes an exchange fair? Their reflections, alongside the wisdom of diverse trading traditions, remind us that commerce has always been about more than transactions. It is a force that connects, transforms, and challenges societies—whether in ancient marketplaces or on today’s digital platforms.4

Marketing Under Empire

As we trace the history of trade and commerce, it’s worth pausing to reflect: how did we get from communal exchanges and relational trade to today’s vast global economies? It’s tempting to think these shifts were natural or inevitable, but the truth is more complex. Enter colonialism, a system that reshaped the world in ways we’re still grappling with today.

For those less familiar, colonialism refers to the political, economic, and cultural domination of one region or people by another, often through force. Between the 15th and 20th centuries, European powers like Britain, France, and Spain established vast empires, seizing land and resources while imposing their systems of governance, labour, and trade. The driving force? Economic gain, whether through extracting raw materials, exploiting labour, or opening markets for European goods.5

At this point, you might wonder, “What does this have to do with marketing?” The connection runs deeper than it might seem. The systems established under colonial rule weren’t just about controlling land or resources; they were about controlling narratives. Colonisers needed people, both at home and in the colonies, to buy into their vision. Marketing became a powerful tool to shape perceptions.

These marketing strategies did more than sell products; they sold entire worldviews. Advertisements often portrayed colonised regions as distant, exotic sources of raw materials, ignoring the rich cultural and economic systems that existed there. For example, campaigns promoting African cocoa frequently depicted cheerful workers in plantation fields—an image that misrepresented the harsh realities of forced labour and exploitation.6

This narrative wasn’t just inaccurate; it was harmful. By presenting these sanitised images, such campaigns erased the suffering of workers and legitimised systems of exploitation in the eyes of consumers. It encouraged people to view goods like cocoa, tea, and sugar not as products of human labour and struggle but as simple commodities to enjoy. This framing shaped consumer consciousness, creating a disconnect that still lingers in today’s global market, where the origins of goods and the conditions under which they are produced often remain invisible.7

Take the British Empire Marketing Board (EMB), founded in 1926, as an example. Its campaigns promoted ‘exotic’ goods as symbols of imperial success. Posters and advertisements presented products like tea and spices as everyday luxuries for British households, glossing over the human and ecological toll of their production. The EMB didn’t just sell goods, it sold the idea that empire was something to be proud of.8

These legacies laid the groundwork for many modern marketing practices. From branding strategies to global supply chains, the systems that emerged during colonialism still shape our world today. Understanding this history isn’t about assigning blame; it’s about recognising how deeply these legacies influence our economic, business, and marketing systems—and how they continue to shape consumer behaviour.

Marketing Meets Mass Production

To understand how marketing might serve regeneration rather than extraction, we must first examine a pivotal moment in its evolution: the Industrial Revolution. 

Regeneration, in this context, refers to practices that restore and renew rather than deplete—focusing on long-term well-being for people, communities, and the planet. It’s a vision of systems designed to sustain and heal, offering a stark contrast to extractive models that prioritise short-term gains at great cost. This perspective is vital to reimagining the role of marketing in today’s world.9

During the late 18th and 19th centuries, the Industrial Revolution ‌reshaped marketing’s purpose. As factories produced goods at extraordinary rates, businesses faced a new challenge: how to create enough consumer demand to match their production capacity. This need for mass consumption led to increasingly sophisticated marketing techniques that combined colonial trade promotion with emerging psychological insights.

The Psychology Blueprint

By the early 20th century, marketing professionals began applying psychological theories, ideas about how people think, feel, and behave, to influence consumer behavior on a large scale. These theories explored human motivations, unconscious desires, and emotional responses, giving marketers new tools to craft campaigns that resonated deeply.

Edward Bernays, often called the “father of public relations,” played a pivotal role in this transformation by applying the ideas of his uncle, neurologist Sigmund Freud. (Remember Freud? That weird guy that always comes up when discussing deep-seated sexual impulses that we’d rather not talk about at the dinner table?) 

Bernays used Freud’s insights into human psychology to revolutionise marketing. His infamous “Torches of Freedom” campaign framed cigarettes as symbols of women’s liberation, proving that marketing could create desires, and even cultural movements, where none existed before.

In his influential book Propaganda (1928), Bernays made his intentions chillingly clear: “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organised habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society.” His work didn’t just change how businesses marketed products; it redefined how leaders and institutions shaped public opinion. Bernays became a key figure in modern public relations, advising governments and politicians on how to control narratives and influence the masses. Notably, his techniques were adopted not just in democracies but also in authoritarian regimes, including campaigns that aided leaders like Adolf Hitler in solidifying their power.10 11

This marriage of psychology and marketing laid the groundwork for decades of consumer manipulation. As television and mass media evolved, campaigns grew increasingly bold in their use of psychological tactics. Coca-Cola’s Christmas ads12 didn’t just sell fizzy drinks; they redefined how we see the holidays. The Marlboro Man13 didn’t just sell cigarettes; he turned smoking into a symbol of rugged masculinity. Through clever manipulation of human desires and cultural narratives, brands began embedding themselves into celebrations, identity, and everyday life.

The Digital Age of Hyper-consumption

Our digital landscape has amplified consumption to unprecedented levels, building upon decades of marketing psychology that we’re only now beginning to fully comprehend. As we excavate the layers of marketing history, we discover how deeply these patterns are embedded in our collective psyche, even as we become increasingly conscious of their influence. 

Social media platforms have dissolved the boundary between entertainment and shopping: TikTok Shop turns every video into a potential point of purchase, while Instagram makes every image shoppable. Amazon’s one-click ordering and next-day delivery eliminate any pause between desire and acquisition. Mobile payment systems and buy-now-pay-later services remove the psychological friction of spending.14

The mechanics of digital marketing have supercharged these patterns. Recommendation algorithms create infinite loops of personalised product discovery. Push notifications interrupt our daily lives with targeted promotions. Loyalty programs gamify spending through points and rewards. The result? A constant stream of micro-purchasing decisions that bypass our rational decision-making processes.

This evolution has generated extraordinary economic growth but at mounting human and ecological costs. Digital platforms perfect what economists call “commodity fetishism”, where products appear magically on our screens, disconnected from their true social and environmental costs. Fast fashion marketing normalises disposable clothing while obscuring its real impact: water pollution, carbon emissions, and challenging working conditions. Marketing optimises for engagement rather than wellbeing, creating addictive consumption patterns that drain both attention and resources.

The rise of digital marketing didn’t create these dynamics so much as amplify patterns that were already deeply ingrained in consumer culture. Advanced targeting and endless scrolling created new forms of consumer behaviour, while algorithms optimised for engagement rather than genuine human connection or planetary health. Many marketers found themselves caught in a system that rewarded short-term metrics over long-term wellbeing.

Yet, this growing consciousness of marketing’s legacy also points toward possibility. The same tools that powered hyper-consumption can be reimagined for regeneration, informed by our deeper understanding of how marketing shapes behaviour and society. The algorithms, targeting capabilities, and creative strategies that accelerated consumption can now strengthen human connection and planetary health–but only if we remain mindful of the historical patterns we’re working to transform.

Reimagining Marketing’s Future

As the world grapples with ecological collapse and the limits of growth, marketing must evolve into a discipline that nurtures life rather than exploits it. The transformation begins by redefining success.

The lens we inherited from modern marketing,  one of extraction, infinite growth, and individual gain, now meets its counterpoint. Rising from our growing ecological awareness emerges an alternative view: a lens of resilience, collective health, and regeneration. It’s a perspective that sees beauty in the reciprocal, that honours emergence, and that celebrates the intricate dance of life itself. Where the old lens fragmented and reduced, this new vision connects and restores.

Traditional marketing metrics like ROI and market share tell only part of the story. When we expand our definition of success to include ecosystem health, new possibilities emerge. Imagine measuring campaigns by their contribution to biodiversity, community wellbeing, and cultural flourishing. This shift becomes essential as consumers and companies recognise their health as inseparable from our living systems.

We can learn from both marketing’s missteps and its moments of genuine connection. What wisdom exists in pre-colonial trading systems that honoured reciprocity? How might marketing preserve rather than erode culture? What emerges when campaigns prioritise the wellbeing of all life—human and non-human?

I know, I know. A lot of questions. Take a deep breath in, annnddd release. Let’s just give ourselves permission to become curious through these questions.

As you reflect on marketing’s past and consider its future, you might want to ponder upon:

  1. How your current marketing practices either perpetuate or heal historical patterns of extraction, and how does this relate to staying true to your purpose when faced with pressures to scale?
  2. Where might you measure impact beyond traditional metrics, particularly when considering the hard lessons learned about balancing purpose with profitability?
  3. As your business grows and pivots, what assumptions about growth and success might you need to question in your current marketing approach? (Consider reviewing our North Star Metric framework in Miro for guidance on XYZ)
  4. In what ways could your metrics be expanded to measure regenerative impact while ensuring you stay anchored to your original mission?

We’re fortunate to be part of a growing movement of organisations and frameworks reimagining marketing’s role in building regenerative futures. Our partners in this work include:

🌟 With Life: Pioneers in bio-inspired approaches to business and marketing, helping organisations learn from nature’s patterns to create more resilient and regenerative systems.

🌟 Capital Institute: Leaders in reimagining economics and finance through their Eight Principles of Regenerative Economics, providing a framework for holistic system change.

🌟 Purpose Foundation: Experts in alternative ownership models and steward-ownership, helping companies maintain their purpose and independence while scaling impact.

🌟 Impact Shakers: A global community dedicated to supporting and amplifying impact-driven entrepreneurs and initiatives

🌟 Considered Capital: Pioneers in mindful investment approaches that integrate regenerative principles, supporting businesses that create positive social and environmental impact while building long-term value.

🌟 Unity Effect: Facilitators of transformative learning and collaboration, helping organisations and individuals develop the capabilities needed for systemic change through innovative learning journeys and community building.

Each brings unique frameworks and approaches to transforming business practices. At Zebra Growth, we explore these questions of the intersection of marketing and growth through our Go-To-Ecosystem (GTE) Framework, which reimagines marketing as a source of emergence rather than extraction. By shifting from “market” to “ecosystem,” we recognise that sustainable growth depends on nurturing the entire web of relationships within a system. Our GTE Cards offer practical guidance for teams ready to implement these regenerative marketing practices. 

While frameworks offer guidance, the true transformation lies in our collective reimagining of marketing’s role in society. As we evolve, we must fundamentally shift how we understand value, success, and our place in the web of life. What role will you play?

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Regenerative Marketing Playground Series invite