Tagged Seth Godin

Browsing all posts tagged with Seth Godin

September 9, 2010
By Simren Deogun
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in Lessons Learned, Thoughts

The Truth About Frustrated Marketers

Sometimes, I'm a frustrated marketer. Sometimes, the whole 'seeing the forest for the tress' just isn't a good enough analogy to get me through the day. Sometimes, I just want to scream at the top of my lungs. I can blame it on the environment or the people or myself, but I know I shouldn't be blaming anyone or anything at all. So, what IS the truth about the 'frustrated marketer'?

The truth is: we always want more than we have right now. We always want it to be more exciting, more challenging, more engaging, more connected. There is no conceivable limit to great ideas, to great talent, to brainstorming, to making mistakes, to growing, to getting better. There is never enough! And that leaves us frustrated.

Godin said a couple days ago, "If you want to learn to do marketing...then do marketing."

Brogan said a few days ago, "The best compliment I ever receive about my blog is that my posts are short, simple, and actionable."

And Mitch Joel told us that, "I preferred to be on death's door of desperation than take a job that I knew I was going to hate...."

What do they all have in common? Besides being written by international marketing geniuses, they exemplify the vastness and prismatic quality of marketing. That it's probably true no two marketers are the same, much like our own fingerprints or DNA. And I think because of that we always want more ... actually, we probably need it more than anything.

I call my blog home because it lets me be a marketer my way. And I believe all marketers (or at least the one's that really, earnestly care) can't live without the individuality to be their own marketer. They make the conscious choice to differentiate, to take risks, to fail and to achieve.

What can you do to be that marketer?

Care to the point that if you were without it, breathing would become nonessential.
Take chances as though failure is no gigantic consequence, but merely an oft-feared but hardly ever revered occurrence.
Read, listen, or write. Pick the one (or more) that helps you grow and learn.
Humble yourself.
And accept that frustration is a necessary evil that only plagues you because you are one marketer that refuses to stop ___________________. [Fill in the blank with what fits best for you!]

March 9, 2010
By Simren Deogun
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in Digital, Events, Thoughts

Seth Godin: Geniuses, Leaders & Lizards at TAOM

"The market for something to believe in is infinite," Seth exclaimed as he concluded his retrospective trip down Highway 11 and his visit to Rita's infamous Candy Shoppe. At The Art of Marketing, Seth begins with a story. And to every good story, there is inevitably some lesson to be learned, some mantra to be imparted. And, so, if you create something to believe in, if you tell a compelling story, if you lead, then, you too can win.

Geniuses: those who solve an interesting problem in a unique way.

Leadership: what marketing has become.

Fear: what resides at the core of the lizard brain (inside our own amygdala) that prevents us from being the two things listed above.

So how do we overcome the lizard brain (or the resistance)? Be an artist. Or a leader. Or a genius. Just deciding to be different may be enough.

For me, it's thinking like the un-corporation. Deciding that mediocrity and bureaucracy just aren't going to cut it because creativity, inspiration and leadership are worth so much more.

What does it mean to you?

Image Credit: The Biz Media >> http://blog.thebizmedia.com/2010/03/sneak-peak-at-the-official-photos-for-the-art-of-marketing/

March 3, 2010
By Simren Deogun
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in Events, News

The Art of Marketing: A Grand Success

Seth Godin. Mitch Joel. Sally Hogshead. Max Lenderman. James Othmer. Dan Heath. Six marketers, authors and visionaries brought together by The Art of Marketing, a conference inherently designed to radically change how you live in the wonderful world of marketing.

Yesterday, I was in the midst of an awe-inspiring conglomerate of thinkers, or to take a page from Godin, geniuses. The energy that these six individuals emitted into the massive room of 1,600 ("...of the top marketers in Canada," as MC Ron Tite repeatedly put it and I didn't mind!) was palpable and envious.

I must admit that the day is still a bit of a haze as I gather my thoughts, learnings and inspiration for my future in marketing, so what follows is a brief summation (with more to come!) of the 6 sessions:

Mitch Joel -- Six Pixels of Separation
Right off the top, funny and engaging, and Mitch knew what he was talking about. I trusted him immediately and that is a wonderful tone to set for the marketing event of my year.

Key Takeaway: Burn your ship and press ctrl+alt+del on your marketing. Start over with a fresh slate and outlook, and focus on caring about who not how many.

Seth Godin -- Creativity, Innovation & Leadership
When Seth walked onto that stage, I tweeted that I would've had goosebumps if it wasn't so hot in the room! It's true. When the almighty guru of marketing decides to grace you with his presence, you can't help but hang onto his every last syllable. What makes Seth the best: engagement. He tells a story that means something, and he tells it with an authenticity that is near impossible to fake.

Key Takeaway: Decide whether or not you're a genius. A genius is someone who solves interesting problems in novel, unexpected ways. To hone that genius, abandon the factory, the manual, the status quo and the lizard brain so that what you're left with is leadership, change and success.

Sally Hogshead -- Persuasion, Influence & Fascination
So can we please hear it for a whole lot of female empowerment? Sally was beyond sincere, down-to-earth and expressive in all the right ways. And frankly put, I want to be her friend.

Key Takeaway: You and your brand need to be fascinating. And by being fascinating, you ensure that you're telling the right story to those who want to listen.

James Othmer -- Branding & Storytelling
Admittedly, he was a nervous speaker, and I'm sure the 1,600 sets of eyeballs didn't help. But James' forward-thinking ethos connected tradition with what is yet to come.

Key Takeaway: The lines are blurring between mediums. It is now the marketer's responsibility to minimize the tension between art, commerce and ethics, which make up the brand.

Max Lenderman -- Experiential Marketing
A young guy with a broad view and an equally far-reaching voice. Max was an experience, and, as he likes to put it, experience makes people act. Again, he reiterated those central and all-powerful themes of leadership, engagement and connectivity.

Key Takeaway: Think of and integrate the visceral experience in your marketing.

Dan Heath -- Marketing Strategy and an Elephant
An all-round (but very pleasurable to listen to) smarty pants. Dan drove home the importance of change. Giving it an human edge and perspective by offering an analytical exposé of the mind. I might like to be a fly on the wall of his brain.

Key Takeaway: Rational vs. Emotional. The Rider vs. The Elephant. If you want to create change, you must acknowledge and understand the roles of both the rider and the elephant. And then you must learn how to get them to do what you want.

Brilliance in Eight Hours or Less
Every speaker offered me wisdom. Every speaker offered me a choice. In sum, they found a way to cram brilliance into 8 hours or less. And if I do have the choice, I choose genius and change and leadership and fascination and engagement. We should all be so lucky to do the same.

January 10, 2010
By Simren Deogun
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in Book Review, Resources

Book Review: Tribes by Seth Godin

Let me begin by stating that I love Godin's blog, mainly for its bold, inspirational properties but also for its necessary doses of reality. It was his blog that drew me to Tribes -- what I like to think of as a harsh expose on what it takes to be a leader in a corporate world that emphasizes and rewards the status quo.

What's a Tribe?
If you don't know yet, it's possible you may want to consider moving out from under that rock.

But, as a simple equation:

Tribe = people + shared interest + way to communicate

The Message
Right on the cover: We need you to lead us. So, naturally I asked 'why?' 12 pages in, I finally receive my answer in the form of Godin's thesis -- to sum up, it's all about change.

I feel like the most important message this book has to offer is not the concept of tribes but actually the concept of leadership. Yes, I understand that the two are undeniably intertwined but, more importantly, the former is impossible without the latter.

Godin wants me, you and your grandmother to embody that change and ultimately prove that success is derived from leading a movement not from conforming to bureaucracy.

The Sub-Messages
There is so much going on in Tribes, I found it hard to narrow down the core sub-messages. But I think once you cut through some of the clutter, the following takeaways are invaluable:

- Destroy the status quo to win
- "Heretics are engaged, passionate, and more powerful and happier than everyone else."
- Leadership is not management its about being an agent of change
- Don't be a lurker, Be a Leaner

To make sense of this, you're going to have to start reading! What you do need to know is that all the messages above (and all the messages throughout the book) are centred on change. Without change, they are impossible.

The Criticism
As with much of Godin's writing, Tribes is an inspirational read. But if I were to use one word to describe the book, I'd choose "schizophrenic".

It's certainly a harsh criticism given that I've spent much of this post bolstering the text. But the presentation of Godin's concepts and inspirations is too highly dependent on idea-hopping. From one idea to the next and then back to the original; it makes Tribes a difficult read. As Godin totes, 'marketing is about storytelling', but even though I know I'm not picking up a novel, I found myself constantly wishing the text was a more cohesive story.

His method of offering information in bite-sized morsels leaves something to be desired as the book fails to gel as a singular text. His lacklustre transitions are balanced with purposeful ambiguity, so there is a diamond amongst all the rough.

The End
The content fights the format. And that struggle is a glaring punch to the face. But Godin has much to say, most of which is more than worth hearing, so I recommend Tribes to any and all marketers if only because it may transform you into a leader.

(What I'm Reading Now: The Ultimate Marketing Plan by Dan Kennedy)

July 27, 2009
By Simren Deogun
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in Digital

Seth Godin: No One Cares About You

Posting this video because in 1:42 he says something absolutely profound:

It's not only the content that is compelling but the timeframe in which it's delivered -- content now, content quickly, content in video format -- people will watch!

June 25, 2009
By Simren Deogun
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in Thoughts

Godin says ‘Find Your Voice’

I ask the multi-million dollar question: "How?"

I have no straight-forward answer to offer, unfortunately. Much like Godin's take on the plethora of approaches to Marketing, there is no standardized manner in which you or your department can find that niche.

Godin writes:

Don't worry about someone else's invented standards for new media, invent your own. Avoid obvious mistakes, don't follow obvious successes.

Find your voice, don't copy someone else's.

The most difficult part of his advice (and the most truthful) is that being the industry copycat is not a roadmap to success. Yet, it's easy, often too easy, to look at what your competitors and other great marketers are doing and duplicating it to mimic the same results.

For me, at least, finding my voice as an individual marketer (outside of my place of work) has been honouring my instincts as often as I can.

It has been about believing in what I believe in but also being able to stomach criticism and the sometimes cold realities of the workplace.

Embrace change. Welcome ideas. Be open-minded. Communicate constantly. Start and Finish all things.

These are great places and ways to start finding your voice -- don't be afraid.

Though Godin tells us to avoid mistakes, the reality is that they will happen and hopefully you're in an environment that will allow you to grow because of them.