A TikTok video posted by creator @jxx on May 19, 2026, discusses marketing strategies for independent brands. The clip received approximately 33,900 views and 2,629 likes at the time of publication.
While sitting in her car, the creator said that guilt marketing damages a brand in the long term. She explained that consumers should purchase products because they solve specific problems, not out of pity. Videos highlighting a lack of sales or an imminent shutdown can cause buyers to question a company's viability.
"Hey, this is gonna sound really mean. Yeah, but if you're a small business owner, you have to stop with the guilt marketing," the creator said. She emphasized that even if pity-driven tactics work temporarily, they are not a viable long-term strategy for independent brands.
She also explained how these tactics can affect consumers. "It's gonna damage your brand long term," she added, explaining that shoppers should never feel pressured to buy simply because they pity a business owner or want to prevent a shop from going under.
Instead of complaining about low sales, she urged owners to showcase their products' benefits consistently. She encouraged businesses to highlight how their products address customer pain points and help people achieve their goals. "People shouldn't buy from you because they feel bad for you and they want to stop you from growing out of business," she stated.
The creator pointed out that long-term business success depends on offering value rather than relying on emotional appeals. "People should buy from you cause your product solves an issue that they're facing in their lives," she explained.
She also discussed how certain social media marketing phrases can backfire. "And your marketing shows how your products can solve a pain point or a problem that they're having, or how it can help them reach an end goal that they want," she noted. Creators who constantly post desperate scenarios risk alienating potential buyers.
"If you all sat there going, oh, POV you've had no customers today POV small business gonna have to shut down because no one's buying from you," she remarked, describing common pitfalls in social media promotion. "POV I'd love to just get one sale today," she added, mimicking the pleading style. "It's gonna make people think, hmm, why they're not getting any sales."
To build a loyal customer base, business owners need to focus on the value their products offer. "Need to be sat there showing up talking about how great you are every single day," she advised. "Talking about how amazing these products are," she said, stressing the importance of positive messaging. "Talking about how many problems your products can solve in these people's lives."
One commenter shared their own example of guilt marketing. "It’s when people give a breakdown of what they actually make in profit after tax/ rent/ products etc after a service and it’s like 29p 🤣🤣 JUST STOP!!!," the commenter wrote.
Another user echoed the warning against pity-based sales approaches. "THANK YOU! Guilt marketing makes me scroll away instantly," the commenter wrote.
A third viewer highlighted the importance of focusing on customer solutions. "Whilst my marketing isn't top tier, I'm SO glad I'm not the type of person who would make content to guilt people into buying my stuff [sic] its so jarring," they wrote.
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the events described in this video. The details above reflect the creator's account as shared on TikTok. The creator's and commenters' identities have not been confirmed.
