The thought of greatest marketers of all time bring us different interpretations, views and approaches. Nevertheless, even though there is a constant evolution of marketing through different ages and phases, there have always been some underlying qualities that have stood the test of time.

So are the principles that underline these qualities of a great marketer. Although the list of greatest marketers is endless and subjective, the following are some of the widely recognised greatest marketers that have played a major role in redefining marketing by doing what others could not achieve. These may not be marketing professionals in the true sense of the term, but their marketing startegies made a huge difference to the business they led.

STEVE JOBS
Jobs was the co-founder, chairman and CEO of Apple Inc. He is known to be one of the most influential innovative marketers of all time. Jobs valued his uniqueness and breaking the status quo.

He was confident of the fact that if he focuses on creating the best designs, they would sell themselves. Jobs also took risks when others would not dare to. Therefore, he embraced his differences and that allowed him to create innovative works.

MARY KAY ASH
She was a successor of network marketing strategy, which helped her create the world famous cosmetics firm in 1963. She valued the principle “know your audience” first. Though network marketing strategy had been in existence long before Mary Kay Ash cosmetics, she was perhaps the only one who succeeded the most in it as she realised the potential of bored housewives who wanted something more flexible than a nine-to-five job.

JOHN R BRINKLEY (ALSO KNOWN AS THE “GOAT GLAND DOCTOR”)
Did it ever occur to you that radio was a cultural asset free of commercials? Well that was before Brinkley changed it all. He was the inventor of Broadcast Advertising and built a radio station in 1923, which combined entertainment, bible reading, and a strong sense for the memorable turn of phrase.

DAVID OGLIVY
He is often credited as the “Father of Advertising” due to his iconic marketing campaigns. These campaigns are now relevant and needed in today’s time. He focused on the ads that should be rich of information and that should matter to the consumers. Also, marketers should have unique selling proposition, researching the consumer, creating good content and many more.

CONRAD GESSNER
He was a well-known botanist, physician and classical linguist. He was recognised for inventing Word of Mouth Marketing. This all started out with a poem he wrote about an unfamiliar tulip, which then sparked a craze known as “Tulipmania”.

Even though it took a couple of years for Tulipmania to develop, some tulips were being sold and are worth millions of dollars in today’s world. The origins of the tulips’ beauty did not start through the Internet or sharing capabilities; it was simply by spreading information from one person to another.

CHARLES PONZI
Known as the inventor of CEO-centric marketing. He focused on promoting his company by promoting himself. Many CEOs have been imitating this technique ever since. Even though Ponzi would pay off his investors, his marketing strategy was based upon lifestyle conspicuous consumption and that created a lot of interest. However, that did not last long. The illegal “Ponzi schemes” are also named after him.

WALT DISNEY
He was credited for his American animation industry. He was able to increase his media enterprise by adding a production studio and multiple theme parks for his idea. As well, he applied authenticity to magical experiences and cared about detail and quality in his animation, which allowed his creation to market themselves.

SETH GODIN
A marketer himself, his qualities for being true, honest and authentic helped him grow. Tribes and Linchpin are some of the best modern-day books about marketing and in them he stresses on the idea of permission marketing versus interruption marketing, which states that instead of overloading people with information-like commercials, permission marketing only sells when the consumer consents to in advance. Not only is he an author, but a blogger, speaker and a role model for marketers around the world.

DALE CARNEGIE
He was an American author, lecturer and developer of self-improvement, salesmanship, and interpersonal skills. His 1936 bestseller How to Win Friends and Influence People is still popular today. Carnegie is listed as one of the greatest salespeople and a remarkable marketer because he focused on interpersonal relationships and valuing people. His expertise in communication played a key role in marketing.

RAY KROC
An American businessman who is credited with turning McDonald’s into the fast food chain it is today, from a local chain to the world’s most profitable restaurant franchise. In 1955, he founded McDonald’s System, Inc., a predecessor of the McDonald’s Corporation, and six years later bought the exclusive rights to the McDonald’s name. According to mcdonalds.com, Ray Kroc wanted to build a restaurant system that would be famous for providing food of consistently high quality and uniform methods of preparation. He wanted to serve burgers, buns, fries and beverages that tasted just the same in Alaska as they did in Alabama.

To achieve this, he chose a unique path: persuading both franchisees and suppliers to buy into his vision, working not for McDonald’s but for themselves, together with McDonald’s.