Seth Godin is an American author, entrepreneur, and blogger who focuses on marketing strategies in the modern world. In his lecture, he explains to the audience that the modern world is full of options and choices for consumers. He used the failure of sliced bread when it was first introduced to discuss the importance of marketing and spreading awareness.
No matter how good your product is, if no one knows it exists in the market, it won’t sell. In Seth Godin’s words, “people who spread ideas win.” Focusing only on the making of the product will result in low sales and profits, as the consumer will never know your product is available, what it is, how to use it, and what benefits it has, all of which are explained through commercial ads.
Seth further explains the different and wrong marketing strategies firms use to spread their ideas. TV commercials are a hit among these businesses, but they are a failure in the modern world because of the unavailability of time for consumers. They don’t bother watching advertisements that don’t interest them. Stuffing your audience with too much information and advertisements will bore them and make them ignore it.
He then constructs his lecture towards the “unique selling point” of products, which he calls a “remarkable” idea. A unique selling point of products refers to the distinct features that make it attractive to the consumer, and different from all the other choices the consumer has in the market. When you create something that is unique and attention-grabbing, people will be attracted and generate curiosity for the product, which will sell it out. In the fashion industry, every brand has its signature clothes, which gain attention. Seth explains with the example of a “purple cow.” No one will stop for an average cow, but a purple cow will strike wonder and people’s imagination.
The concept of “target audience” is also talked about in Seth’s lecture. Making average products for ordinary people is a mass marketing method that fails to attempt to increase sales. However, selling and targeting the right audience can result in success for your product. You can’t sell a basketball to a football fan. This method of marketing is also called “niche marketing.” When you get your message to the people who will listen and are obsessed with the type of product you sell, you will most likely get your message across to others as well. Geeks and fans obsess about their favorite things and talk about them to everyone.
What we learned from Seth Godin’s lecture is that interrupting uninterested consumers with your ads won’t help you spread your idea but picking your niche and targeting the audience that is most likely to listen will increase your chances of the success of your product. Also, it is vital to be different and unique instead of being very good yet dull.
