文章认为，营销在最佳状态下是一种“热情的传递”：当你真心相信自己正在做的事，并被愿景驱动时，这种热情会自然留下印记，形成品牌影响力。这里的“品牌”更像一种持续表达与感染他人的过程，而不只是一个名词或标签。
Jason Fried
August 28, 2025
At its best, marketing is a transfer of enthusiasm.
When you're truly pumped about what you're doing, when you're truly driven by the vision, when you absolutely must make something that you need and want, your enthusiasm leaves a mark. It's a brand. Not the noun, but the verb.
At its worst, marketing is a transfer of everything else. Your worst fears, your biggest insecurities, the charades you play. False enthusiasm on display, empty promises, and sloganeering no one believes. It quickly makes you a liar.
Just like you can't not communicate, you can't not market. Everything is marketing.
The best, and the worst, is always on display, like it or not. You can't hide from your own presence, however it shows up. Marketing casts, like a shadow casts. Attached to every move.
Think about what someone else is doing that you're enthused about. Where did that come from? What transferred it?
Of course many things that are great simply work. Nothing more, nothing less. No stories, no excitement, just the snick of a perfect fit. But somewhere down the chain, someone cared enough to make that thing right. And that's a transfer too.
-Jason
About Jason Fried
Hey! I'm Jason, the Co-Founder and CEO at 37signals, makers of Basecamp and HEY. Subscribe below to follow my thinking on business, design, product development, and whatever else is on my mind. Thanks for visiting, thanks for reading.