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# On Platforms and Marketing
- URL: https://www.philsimon.com/on-platforms-and-marketing/
- Published: 2011-08-31T19:59:46.000Z
- Updated: 2025-07-01T20:36:57.000Z
- Description: In the Age of the Platform, the rules of marketing and advertising are different.
- Author: Phil Simon
- Tags: Platforms, Strategy, Amazon, Apple, Facebook/Meta, Google, Marketing, The Age of the Platform

*"Marketing is the cost you pay for lousy products."*

—Sergey Brin

This is one of my favorite quotes from [Brin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergey%5FBrin?ref=phil-simon.ghost.io), a man I consider to be one of the smartest on the planet. Some disagree with him, but I actually think that he's on to something.

Think about Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google. Do they go a great deal of advertising? Not really. Their platforms and their planks, users, customers, and partners do most of their marketing for them.

This happens every time that someone:

- Notices someone using iPad on the subway.
- Sees someone reading a Kindle at the gym.
- Says to someone, "Just Google it."
- New friends connect on Facebook.

In the Age of the Platform, the rules of marketing and advertising are different.