Seth Godin London Event, Part Deux

What I really admired was Seth's conviction and focus. He has absolute belief in his ideas and lots of examples to back it up. He's a superb presenter who makes you want to go out and change the world. Worth going for that alone.

As with my Clay Shirky post a couple of weeks ago, here are some of the thoughts that I scribbled during the presentation. I'm sure a quick Google will bring you to much more detailed reviews about the themes and detail of Seth's talk but that's not for me (here's some). Readers of his books and blog will not be surprised by the content.

1. Permission
I feel the need to use a quote here.

“To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it.”
G K Chesteton.

You know you've got permission to do what you're doing when people miss it and ask for it. A really good check is to ask yourself the question "If I didn't do it, would anyone mind?".

2. Remarkable
This is what Seth's book "Purple Cow" is all about. And he simply defines remarkable as "Something worth making a remark about". In other words an idea that people spread because they want to.

3. General Sethness
Build the product to fit the customers' worldview rather than having a product and then working out how to sell it and who to sell it to. The product is the marketing.
Old ways of interruption are dead or dying. Internet changed the rules etc. etc.
We're trained to be average. Spending marketing money on average products for average people used to work... no longer.
Go read the blog and books.

4. Reframe the Problem
e.g. Tiffany's charge for the green box not for the diamonds.

5. Tribes need a mission
A similar thought as came out of the Clay Shirky presentation, that once the goal is achieved that the Tribe can splinter. What's happening now Obama is President?

7. What's the new scarcity?
Rather than concerning yourself with why your business model is crumbling and trying to prevent it disintegrating (luddite music industry), find other ways to make money. Build communities. Create limited edition or unique products e.g. recordings of specific concert delivered next day etc. Well done Radiohead.

8. Remember we're human

"The motivations are the same, the souvenirs are different"

Human needs drive our behaviour, whatever it is we're selling.

9. "Only connect" - from Howard's End by E M Forster.
This wasn't mentioned by Seth, but "human connection" was a major theme.

"Only connect! That was the whole of her sermon. Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its height. Live in fragments no longer. Only connect, and the beast and the monk, robbed of the isolation that is life to either, will die."

Note to self... must read Howard's End to make sure I get this properly (especially the bit about the beast and the monk, I'm not sure why we want them to die), but it feels like it's expressing that we need to find meaning and that meaning comes from being involved in humanity. To live and experience.

(Update: here's video footage)