Why shallow Marketing leads to deeper Impact

Depth doesn’t sell. But without it, nothing lasts.

It's important to solve problems deeper than the surface level.
But don’t become the “derp,” like I did.

What is “derp,” you ask?

A derp is someone who goes deep everywhere. That's, at least, my definition of it.
A person who is spiritually numb; everything has to be seen from the deepest level.

I was like that.

I used to scoff at “shallow” marketing tactics, thinking they were beneath me.

Yet, paradoxically, I still had petty ego desires.

I still wanted validation. I still wanted to be admired. I still wanted to get rich. Even now, I want more. More income, more influence, more impact. The urge for organic growth is natural. And that’s the funny thing. The deeper I go, the more I realize I’m still human.

I used to believe true success came from depth, not surface-level tactics. I thought humans were complicated, that they needed a ridiculous amount of “scratching through the surface” to solve a problem.

And that is still true.

We humans are, in fact, complex beings.
Our psychology is not simple at all.

But you know what is simple? Our needs are. 
Let’s unwind.

We want to be healthy, beautiful, and wealthy. These are "evergreen markets", meaning they have consistent demand. If you solve a problem and sell the solution as a product or service, you will have no demand issues.

And you can sell to people if you speak their language. Not the language of your ideals. Not the language of your intellect. The language of their needs.

Example 1: Vanity Goals and Root Problems

Let’s say someone is struggling to grow muscle.

But as a coach, I see something deeper—their jaw is misaligned.

Through the Chek Totem Pole, we know that mastication (chewing) [orange skull] is a higher survival priority than structural integrity [violet joints & bones at the bottom]. That means if your jaw is misaligned, your entire body has to compensate. You bend and twist, subconsciously adjusting to realign your senses and teeth—all day, every day.

This constant micro-adjustment drains energy. It leads to fatigue, stress, and depletion.

So their jaw could literally be the reason their muscle growth journey is failing.

But here’s the thing: My responsibility isn’t to educate them on biomechanics upfront. If I start by explaining the neuromuscular compensation of mandibular misalignment, they’ll tune out.

I have to speak to what they care about—results.

I have to say:
💬 “If you want to build muscle, we need to fix what’s holding you back.”

Once they trust me, I can go deep.

I have to be shallow to get their attention, so I can go deep to transform their reality.

That’s the marketing.

Example 2: Our judgment of design & translation to sales

Let’s say a business owner comes to me frustrated.

"I don’t get it. My product is amazing, my ads are running, but no one is buying. What’s wrong?". They think it’s a traffic problem. They assume they need better marketing, more engagement, or aggressive pricing.

But I see the deeper issue: their website is killing trust.

Through UX psychology, we know that people judge credibility in 50 milliseconds. They don’t read—they scan. And if what they see doesn’t instantly communicate clarity, trust, and value, they bounce.

But here’s the paradox: they don’t think it’s the design.

They won’t say:
🚫 "My brand colors aren’t psychologically optimized!"
🚫 "My button contrast is too weak!"
🚫 "My typography lacks hierarchy!"

No. They say:
🔴 "I think I need better ads."
🔴 "Maybe my price is too high?"
🔴 "People just aren’t interested in what I offer."

If I hit them with "Your visual hierarchy is broken and your CTA has no contrast", they’ll tune out. They don’t want a design lesson. They want sales. So what do I say instead? "You’re losing customers in the first three seconds. Let’s fix that."

Now I have their attention. Once they trust me enough to work together, I can go deep. I can show them how to design a frictionless experience that removes subconscious doubts, builds trust, and makes their product feel instantly desirable.

But first, I have to sell them what they think they need—not what I know they need. That’s the marketing.

Deep ideas don’t spread just because they’re profound.

        Shallow Marketing
      (Catchy, Accessible Message)
                 ▲
                 │
                 │
   ┌─────────────┴─────────────┐
   │        Iceberg Tip        │
   │ (Visible, Simple Hook)    │
   └─────────────┬─────────────┘
                 │
    ~~~~~ Waterline ~~~~~
                 │
   ┌─────────────┴─────────────┐
   │         Deep Product      │
   │ (Rich, Complex, Value-    │
   │  driven innovation below) │
   └───────────────────────────┘

They spread because they’re accessible. Because they make sense to the person hearing them. It’s not about manipulation. It’s about empathy. Understanding what people actually want—then meeting them there.

And if they wouldn’t need it, why would you even try to sell it?

The UX of Marketing: Designing for the Human Mind

In the design world, we obsess over user experience (UX).

We don’t just create a product and hope people figure it out. That was the internet of the 2000s. We learned from horrible websites, figuring out how stuff works. Complex information architecture(or no architecture at all). Sometimes we were traumatized by wasting 30 minutes to find a specific function or button. Sometimes still today this happens. But today, we design with the user in mind—their habits, their pain points, their desires.

Good UX means removing friction. Making the experience so intuitive that people engage without resistance.

Marketing is the same. Your message is the product. Your audience is the user. If they don’t “get it” instantly, the problem isn’t them—it’s your design. A complex product needs simple UX. A deep idea needs simple messaging.

Marketing is communication design. And just like in UX, the best design disappears—it feels effortless. Because when your message is clear, your audience doesn’t think. They just act.

The Marketing Paradox: Build Marketing First, Then Product

This is one of Dan Koe’s idea: Marketing should come before the product. Why? Because the best product in the world means nothing if no one hears about it.

A great product + no marketing = an unnoticed masterpiece.
A decent product + great marketing = massive success.
A bad product + great marketing = getting sales, but destroying your own reputation.

That’s the game.

Harsh truth? No one cares how deep your ideas are if they don’t even click.

Superficiality Unlocks Depth

This is the paradox. To go deep, you must first engage at the surface. To sell transformation, you must meet people where they are—at their immediate needs. To offer true fulfillment, you must first address their material concerns.

You don’t reach the highest levels of being by bypassing the basics.

You get there by mastering them.

The gateway to transcendence is blocked through avoiding the material world—it’s only accessible through understanding it, navigating it, and using it as a tool.

Avoiding the full spectrum, I resisted shallow marketing because I thought it was beneath me. And then I found out that depth and impact require a surface-level entry point. Marketing seems salesy—but we all have to sell.

If I don’t market well, my message dies in silence.
If I do, I give it the power to change lives.

And if that’s not deep, I don’t know what is. If I truly care about my message, I need to meet people where they are—not where I wish they were.

So yeah, I’m learning to market like the best of them.

Not because I’ve sold out, but because I finally get it.

kiss kiss,
Tarkan