Dispelling Columbus (and Other Myths)

christopher columbus should be some sort of hero to me. half of my family heritage traces back to italy. i won a columbus day poster contest when i was a child (i know, an odd thing). the fact is, i’m not one for myths — whether it be people, events, objects, whatever. in the states, today is the national holiday for columbus — because he supposedly “discovered” america. um, there were native peoples here when he arrived. did you know that columbus engaged in genocide, subjugation and plundering? we tend to hear more about civil transactions. while i’ve always found it interesting why and how myths are created (and proliferated), i’m more focused on the truth. understanding why things are the way they are. as i’ve matured in my career, it’s the truth that has led me to become more and more involved in marketing. after all — you can’t become truly successful without knowing what people want. you can’t sell something without getting down to the honest objections. there’s no real room for myths in marketing. whether you’re a business owner pretending to know your consumers (without ever having done the actual research) or you are extending forward the myth of columbus, it’s time to embrace reality. for success’ sake.