Response to: Does divinity have a place in modern-day marketing? by Allison Ross
By someone grounded in traditional marketing and inspired by the sea.
Allison, thank you for starting an important and personal conversation about the role of Divinity in Marketing. Your post raises questions I’m still exploring myself, so I thought I’d begin with a definition of divinity, as described by ChatGPT:
“Divinity refers to the state or quality of being divine, often associated with gods, supreme beings, or sacred attributes like omnipotence and moral perfection. It can also denote the academic study of religion and theology, or symbolically express something of exceptional beauty or greatness.”
While I may not relate to divinity in the traditional or religious sense, I do believe in something greater than myself. As Allison also discusses, I see divinity as something deeply personal, drawn from whatever source gives us meaning.
The question in the post title questions the role of divinity in marketing which is a realm I’m much more comfortable with.
Coming from a traditional marketing background, I was taught to analyse markets, identify audiences, craft clear messages, and measure results. It’s a world of data, structure, and tangible outcomes. Now, outside of the corporate environment, I have more flexibility to add my own twist on this process and for that I turn to nature for inspiration.
The underwater world, in particular, holds a special place for me. With less than 5% of the ocean explored, it represents a vast, mysterious intelligence, far deeper and more dynamic than anything we’ve built above ground.
In coral reefs, I see collaboration at its best: small vibrant fish taking shelter in the stunning corals and anemone, groupers and rays visiting the cleaner stations, there’s harmony between individual need and collective purpose. Each organism coexists, contributes, and adapts not for dominance, but for balance and survival.
Whether we draw our energy from spirit or from nature I do believe marketing is evolving. Less about pushing. More about presence, connection and flow. Less noise. More depth.
What if our strategies flowed like rivers, not with force, but with persistence and purpose?
So maybe the question for me isn’t “What would love say?” but:
What would the ocean and the waves whisper?
Nature is my source, one that grounds, guides, and shapes how I engage with the world.
So, when I hear the question, “Does divinity have a place in modern-day marketing?” I pause, not to reject the premise, but to expand it.
Maybe for me divinity isn’t a being or a force “out there,” but an experience right here: the intelligence of ecosystems, the reciprocity of the natural world, the way life supports life.
If marketing is how we communicate what we offer to each other, then yes, this kind of divinity absolutely belongs.
Photo by Marek Okon on Unsplash
