I just finished Seth Godin’s latest effort”Meatball Sundae” www.sethgodin.com
Of course I am a big fan of Seth, not that I agree with every idea or presumption he puts forth, rather I enjoy his clear and uncluttered point of view about marketing. This post is not meant to be book report or blogger’s review on Seth’s most recent book, but after reading it, I was contemplating the profound changes that are taking place in just about every business sector right now. I am completely amazed at the speed in which the rules of the game are changing and how traditional marketers are struggling, even refusing to embrace and integrate these changes into their business strategies.
There is no doubt we are in an era of marketing clutter. Customers are doing all they can to ignore marketing messages at every turn. Yet paradoxically, the more choice customers have, the more choice they seek. The trends effecting marketing outcomes are no longer in the control of marketers. Customers have the power now.
Seemingly mass communication is becoming more irrelevant. Stories are more important than facts, attention spans are ever shorter and 50 people who love your proposition are more important than the millions who might. The new marketing tools don’t include hammering people over the head with more and more clutter. The new marketing era is turning the old marketing funnel idea on its side. The internet has leveled the playing field, condensed time and enabled mythical business success out of thin air. Indeed a massive sea change is transpiring before our eyes in real time.
Regardless, the power of new marketing lies in one fundamental timeless concept: ideas spread through groups of people more effectively than ideas delivered to individuals. Growth and expansion in any endeavor is more likely to become a movement if the idea serves people with great passion and authenticity. Doing what people love is not a new idea. The difference is we are now connected to one and other in ways never before possible. An through this new connectivity an ideavirus can spread more rapidly. The new word of mouth is now fully digital and it is an open source experience.
