The vast majority of pickup truck owners in America don't use the capabilities enough to make them worth the purchase; the phenomenon is mostly cultural.
Specifically for the American male, the F-150 is a form of gender expression and gender affirming transportation.
I think you misspelled marketing
(I'm not against pickup trucks when actually needed, but most of the time an enclosed van is better for the trades - and when heavy lifting is needed, it's better to bring in actual big trucks. For all other times, Home Depot rents them by the hour).
If they hadn't made the hybrid truck so effective the lightning would have had a chance. I get around 20+mpg on average with a ~600lb load always in the bed.
But the Lightning outperforms it dramatically. There isn't anything short of a tuned powerstroke that pulls like a Lightning.