5 Things I Choose Not To Do As A Marketer
Ajay Binani
Digital Marketing Strategist | Advisor to companies with a Topline of USD 1-2 million, in their Online Journey | Author & Speaker on Minimalism | Open for Speaking Events
February 27, 2026
It’s easy to have opinions about the world around us.
We question the ads celebrities choose. Wonder why certain brands are promoted. We talk about what politicians, police or systems should be doing better. Most of the time, those conversations feel valid.
Yet over time, we are only quick to notice what feels misaligned outside. Rarely pausing to examine our own role in it.
Being a marketer who is witnessing the journey from front seat, we are building the system where overconsumption is constantly promoted. Global advertising spend will surpass $1 trillion for the first time in 2026, growing 5.1% overall, outpacing the 3.1% global GDP expansion.
The algorithmic ad personalization directly leads to impulsive purchases, mediated by perceived value (social, emotional, price), per PLS-SEM analysis. And much of that influence is not accidental. It is designed, positioned, and repeated until it feels normal. There is a whole another conversation about sustainability and our contribution to it that we can have.
In fields like ours, despite influence being a part of the job, the lines are not always clear. There are trade-offs and practical realities. Over time, we start believing we are just executing. When in reality, we are shaping decisions more than we admit.
Responsibility doesn’t only sit with celebrities, brands, or systems. It also sits with us, the people building the narrative behind them.
Over the years, I’ve tried to keep a few simple boundaries while enjoying the journey of marketing. As simple reminders for the kind of work I want to do consciously.
Here are 5 things I choose not to do in my work –
1. Taking Up Work Without Real Contribution
Over time, I’ve become more careful about the projects I say yes to. If I don’t understand the industry clearly, or don’t see where I can genuinely contribute, I step back, communicate transparently about the same and tackle it from there. It is easier to take the project and figure it out later on the go. But that usually leads to average work, and both sides feel it if it isn’t well laid out from Day 1.
2. Showcasing Short Term Spikes As Long Term Results
It is not difficult to push numbers up for a while. More installs, more leads, more traffic. A team who has been in the marketing industry for decent number of years get the understanding about how to spike numbers. Also very often, those numbers don’t stay. And we can usually sense that early on. Despite the excitement and initial rush, we as a team avoid committing to work that looks good for a few weeks but doesn’t hold for the business much.
3. Shaping The Story Around The Numbers
Before we begin, we define what we are working towards. The KPIs, goals and all the details in between. And then we share that regularly – whether the numbers are improving or not. It’s a common practice to skip this. Understandably so. You can make a mental note to do better without having to share certain things. But for us, It is what it is, and clear communication plays the role regardless data being in greens or reds.
4. Fabricating The Source Of Content Creation
Today, a lot of content can be quickly generated as per liking, thanks to the advancement of AI models. Especially things that look real. So we try to be clear about it. Mentioning it wherever needed. Clearly communicating what is AI generated. If it is actual user-generated content, we keep that distinction. If it is AI-UGC, the same is mentioned. A viewer may not always ask, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it should be unclear or kept in hidden sight.
5. Following Requirements Blindly Even When It Doesn’t Make Sense
Clients understand their business deeply, the market, their requirements all fulfilled over the years. But marketing decisions often get influenced by trends. For example, many of my retail and e-comm founders ask about building an app because others are doing it.
My response? almost 70% of the times I have said no, understanding the app market in the country currently. In most cases, it doesn’t add real value. So I say no when needed, and focus on what will actually expand the business. Every brand needs its own marketing solution. Despite us liking a certain trend, it may not be the best way forward for the business.
“Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.” – Steve Jobs
Over the years, I’ve realised that most of our work is not just about campaigns or numbers. It is about what we repeatedly choose to do, even when no one is paying close attention.
I have made mistakes. Terrible ones if I may add. There have been decisions that did not work, and phases where the outcome was far from what we expected. Some things looked right at the time and still failed. Some things took longer than we had planned.
But if there is one thing that holds over time, it is the intent behind the work. The values we choose in silence become the anchor for everything else – especially when things are uncertain.
And maybe that’s where the shift begins. Instead of looking outside at what is going wrong, it might help to pause and ask what we are contributing to it, in our own small ways.
That’s all we had to share this week.
We will be back soon with thoughts & tips on simple living.
#redefiningminimalism
Thoughts by Ajay Binani
Written by Poulomi Ghosh