Today’s Marketing Is Just Yesterday’s Marketing With a New Name

Email Marketing: A Classic That Never Dies

Direct mail was one of the most widely used strategies in the ’80s and ’90s. Companies sent catalogs, postcards, and personalized letters to potential customers. Sound familiar? That’s exactly what we now call email marketing.

With tools like Mailchimp or HubSpot, we can now personalize and automate these campaigns, but the concept remains the same: using email to generate interest, promote offers, and stay connected with customers.

💡 Takeaway:
Many believe email marketing is dead, but it still delivers one of the highest ROIs. The secret? Personalization and avoiding spammy tactics.

Influencers: The Brand Ambassadors of the Past

Before Instagram and TikTok influencers, brands already used brand ambassadors and celebrities to promote their products. Think Michael Jordan with Nike, Cindy Crawford with Pepsi, or even chef Paul Prudhomme with McDonald’s.

The only difference today is that you don’t have to be a global celebrity to influence purchasing decisions. Thanks to social media, anyone with a loyal audience can become an influencer.

💡 Takeaway:
Influence hasn’t changed—it has simply become more accessible. A micro-influencer with 10,000 highly engaged followers can sometimes be more impactful than a celebrity with millions.

Retargeting: Is It Really a New Concept?

Retargeting—showing ads to people who have interacted with your brand—might seem like a modern strategy, but marketers in the ’90s were already doing something similar. Stores used personalized coupons to bring back recurring customers, and telemarketers called people who had shown interest in a product.

Today, Google Ads and Facebook Ads do this automatically using tracking pixels, but the logic remains the same: reminding potential customers that they still have unfinished business with your brand.

SEO: The Digital Evolution of Classic Positioning

In the ’80s and ’90s, businesses competed to appear in the Yellow Pages or the most consulted business directories. Sound familiar? That’s essentially what we do today with SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Back then, businesses optimized their names and locations to be found in printed directories. Today, we do the same with keywords, meta descriptions, and backlinks.

💡 Takeaway:
SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. The same principles that worked for printed directories (being relevant and well-positioned) still apply online.

CRM: The Digital Version of Customer Databases

Before sophisticated CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems like Salesforce or HubSpot, businesses managed customer relationships manually. Salespeople and account executives used physical notebooks, customer cards, and handwritten notes to track key details such as birthdays, last purchases, and preferences.

Big department stores used rudimentary databases to segment customers and send tailored promotions. Airlines and hotels manually record information for their loyalty programs.

Today, CRMs do this digitally, automatically, and at scale. But the core idea remains the same: remember who your customers are, understand their needs, and communicate effectively to build stronger relationships.

💡 Takeaway:
CRM is not just a tech tool—it’s a business philosophy based on personalization and customer care. What was once done with notebooks and phone calls is now achieved through AI and automation, but the goal remains building long-term relationships.

Sales Funnels: The Evolution of Classic Conversion Strategies

Sales funnels might seem like a modern concept, but structured sales processes have existed for decades. In the ’80s and ’90s, real estate agents, insurance salespeople, and car dealerships already followed a well-defined process to turn prospects into buyers.

For example, door-to-door encyclopedia salesmen used a clear sequence:
1️⃣ Generating Interest – Offering free demos or brochures.
2️⃣ Educating and Engaging – Explaining benefits and answering questions.
3️⃣ Closing the Sale – Providing limited-time discounts to create urgency.
4️⃣ Follow-up – Making calls and visits to build customer loyalty.

Today, digital sales funnels do the same thing using social media ads, landing pages, email marketing, and automation. The biggest difference? Scale and data tracking.

💡 Takeaway:
It doesn’t matter if a funnel is digital or in-person—the key to success lies in understanding the customer’s decision-making process and optimizing each step for better conversions.

Conclusion: Innovation or Just a Rebrand?

Marketing evolves, but it rarely invents something entirely new. Most of today’s strategies are refined versions of classic techniques adapted to the digital world. The key is not to discard old methods in favor of the latest trends, but to understand the origins of these strategies and apply them intelligently in today’s market.

🚀 Looking for a marketing strategy that truly blends innovation with proven effectiveness? At Link Team LLC, alongside Carlos Apitz, we help businesses craft modern marketing approaches while staying true to what actually works. Let’s take your business to the next level!