Friday 28 June 2013

Pop quiz: what is the longest running marketing campaign in history?

The longest-running marketing campaign in history is still going strong after tens of thousands of years.

Can you guess what it is?

Answer: Religion.

Religion has understood the fundamentals of brand development since time immemorial.  It successfully uses all the building blocks to create emotional and intellectual bonds with people, such as:

          - Symbols and sounds.

          - Constant call to action.

          - Differentiated environment.

          - Belief system.

          - Fear of the alternative.

Ever purchased a product you just couldn’t do without?  Ever wondered how some products just seem to click with everyone?  The inspiration for these products actually came from us in the first place.

Companies achieve this by obtaining our buy-in to what we already believe we need.  They know what we value; what we care about and sell it back to us at a premium.

Religion was savvy enough to work this out a long time ago.  There is no product that has lasted as long as religion.

Well, perhaps prostitution – but that’s for another blog! (maybe)

If your company is looking to create a divergence; a movement; a legion of followers - then a look at the success of religion could provide the inspiration you need.

Alternatively, you could do nothing and hope that divine intervention saves your business anyway.



Thursday 13 June 2013

Hotworthy Upworthy.

Here are my hottest picks from Upworthy for the month of May 2013.


This idea simply blew me away.  If you are thinking of starting a business, a new product or service, or entering a new market, spend some time analysing the PostSecret concept and why it is so engaging to people.  It has all the answers you need to create an awesome business model.







This is very cool.  Watch closely.  Talk about reaching your target market.  Every time a child is born, the world has another chance to get it right.  If we want to save the future of the planet, then we should be protecting children as ferociously as we want to protect from environmental vandalism or corporate greed.




This great video caught my attention because I am a big believer in using the pay-it-forward philosophy to be successful in life and in business.  Whether you are networking, developing new products and services, or engaging a new market, if you view your external world through the eyes of pay-it-forward, you will be successful.



Why did I pick these?

So many stunning ideas are created by those focused on helping others.  Take away the pressure to make money and the creative process flows brilliantly.  Money makes us think about ourselves and we take comfort in coming up with our own idea, not a solution for someone else.  A business needs to have this same culture if it wants to be successful.  Yes of course, we need to keep a healthy respect for the bottom line.  But there is no denying that some of the most inspiring products and services ever invented, where born from someone’s hell-bent determination to help others. Success in business is about creating movements, not products.  To have fans, not customers.

BTW - haven't yet cracked what LinkedIn is actually all about?  Hint - the best networkers pay it forward.