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All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World
Presents an analysis of current marketing trends, maintaining that the marketing campaigns that succeed are those that cater to the inclination of consumers to believe the best story, irrespective of the facts.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
About the author
Seth Godin
147 books6,241 followersSeth W. Godin, also known as "F. X. Nine", is an American author and a former dot com business executive.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 642 reviews
October 4, 2014
Favorites:
Instead of being scientists, the best marketers are artists.
If people could skip the ads, they would.
She buys … because she wants it, not because she needs it.
We don’t need what you sell, friend.
We buy what we want.
Step 1: their worldview and frames got there before you did.
Every consumers has a worldview that affects the product you want to sell.
That worldview alters the way they interpret everything you say and do. Frame your story in terms of that worldview, and it will be heard.
Step 2: people notice only the new and then make a guess
Step 3: first impressions start the story
Humans are able to make extremely sophisticated judgments in a fraction of a second. And once they’ve drawn that conclusion, they resist changing it.
Step 4: great marketers tell stories we believe.
If a consumer figures something out or discovers it on her own, she’s a thousand times more likely to believe it than if it’s just something you claim.
The process of discovery is more powerful than being told the right answer.
The goal of every marketer is to create a purple cow, a product or experience so remarkable that people feel compelled to talk about it.
But if cheap is what you want, you can buy cheap cheaper somewhere else. Cheap is not marketing.
There are 4 reasons why your new release failed:
1. No one noticed it
2. People noticed it but decided they didn’t want to try it
3. People tried it but decided not to keep using it
4. People liked it but didn’t tell their friends
Yes, all marketers are liars. But the successful ones are the ones that can honestly tell us a story we want to believe and share.
Instead of being scientists, the best marketers are artists.
If people could skip the ads, they would.
She buys … because she wants it, not because she needs it.
We don’t need what you sell, friend.
We buy what we want.
Step 1: their worldview and frames got there before you did.
Every consumers has a worldview that affects the product you want to sell.
That worldview alters the way they interpret everything you say and do. Frame your story in terms of that worldview, and it will be heard.
Step 2: people notice only the new and then make a guess
Step 3: first impressions start the story
Humans are able to make extremely sophisticated judgments in a fraction of a second. And once they’ve drawn that conclusion, they resist changing it.
Step 4: great marketers tell stories we believe.
If a consumer figures something out or discovers it on her own, she’s a thousand times more likely to believe it than if it’s just something you claim.
The process of discovery is more powerful than being told the right answer.
The goal of every marketer is to create a purple cow, a product or experience so remarkable that people feel compelled to talk about it.
But if cheap is what you want, you can buy cheap cheaper somewhere else. Cheap is not marketing.
There are 4 reasons why your new release failed:
1. No one noticed it
2. People noticed it but decided they didn’t want to try it
3. People tried it but decided not to keep using it
4. People liked it but didn’t tell their friends
Yes, all marketers are liars. But the successful ones are the ones that can honestly tell us a story we want to believe and share.
January 18, 2016
Can you write a 200 page book without any content whatsoever? Apparently, you can. The author has followed his friend Lisa's example - a best seller that doesn't offer anything new and just caters to already existing worldviews. The same statement was repeated over and over again, without being proven even once.
October 12, 2012
In 'All Marketers Are Liars', Seth Godin proposes that marketers take a different approach to storytelling. He makes the assertion that marketers should be more focused on telling authentic stories as they are on creating quality products. However, people will buy a story first before they can buy the product itself. Using numerous anecdotes, Godin shows what makes some marketing campaigns successful and what makes others fail.
One of the points that really came across for me was the idea that consumers already have a perception about a brand or product before the advertising message reaches them. While Godin does a great job of bringing out this concept, I would have been more interested in actionable steps for determining the worldview of potential customers to create a marketing message that will be relevant to them.
Another thing that I found interesting was the advice he gives about tailoring your marketing message to target the extreme. Targeting the early adopters is one of the most effective marketing strategies as these are the people who are likely to spread the word and to influence others to make a purchasing decision. I would recommend this interesting read to any marketer looking to differentiate their message and to understand their customer better.
One of the points that really came across for me was the idea that consumers already have a perception about a brand or product before the advertising message reaches them. While Godin does a great job of bringing out this concept, I would have been more interested in actionable steps for determining the worldview of potential customers to create a marketing message that will be relevant to them.
Another thing that I found interesting was the advice he gives about tailoring your marketing message to target the extreme. Targeting the early adopters is one of the most effective marketing strategies as these are the people who are likely to spread the word and to influence others to make a purchasing decision. I would recommend this interesting read to any marketer looking to differentiate their message and to understand their customer better.
September 11, 2017
O livro perfeito para quem faz divulgação científica. Pode ser que ele seja completamente redundante para quem é de publicidade/marketing, mas me contou uma série de novidades. E martelou muito no que já percebia no YT, história importa mais do que tudo. Achei uma ótima leitura para refinar a habilidade de comunicação. É só trocar "vender seu produto" por "promover seu conteúdo" e a mensagem é totalmente válida para quem se comunica, na falta de livros de divulgação científica que usem novas mídias.
Gostei muito do recado de como construir comunidades, como passar mensagens claras e como valorizar pré e pós conteúdo para chegar no público. Um pouco defasado, mas ainda pertinente para essa finalidade.
Gostei muito do recado de como construir comunidades, como passar mensagens claras e como valorizar pré e pós conteúdo para chegar no público. Um pouco defasado, mas ainda pertinente para essa finalidade.
March 12, 2018
I must confess that I find Godin's rah-rah manifesto-style delivery very endearing. But I also can clearly see why some may feel underwhelmed by this book. There is no 'on this side ... but on the other side' business. Just a raw, emotive but yet perceptive and inspiring speil.
Punchline: customers don't buy products anymore - the buy a story behind them. Therefore successful business/marketing of the future will become better storytellers (or cease to succeed). Could this be delivered in a blog post? Sure. But you will miss out on the energetic pitch with plenty of examples in support of the argument. Yes, some of the examples are quite dated by now - but you cannot avoid getting bemused how pertinent and timely they are in the context of modern brands, trends and (even) politics.
So, this is good stuff! If you happen be flying somewhere... take this with you on the plane ;)
Punchline: customers don't buy products anymore - the buy a story behind them. Therefore successful business/marketing of the future will become better storytellers (or cease to succeed). Could this be delivered in a blog post? Sure. But you will miss out on the energetic pitch with plenty of examples in support of the argument. Yes, some of the examples are quite dated by now - but you cannot avoid getting bemused how pertinent and timely they are in the context of modern brands, trends and (even) politics.
So, this is good stuff! If you happen be flying somewhere... take this with you on the plane ;)
March 30, 2017
Genius read for all entrepreneurs & start upers. "Sushi tastes better if the chef is Japanese". Don't satisfy customer's needs, create wants. Puma is not selling you product quality/functionality, rather how they make you feel in Pumas. Great product story makes a promise of a safety, feeling beautiful/fit/more popular/loved/smart. It takes a group of people to fall in love with the story of your brand & for them to start spreading the word. Not the brand is doing the marketing, your customers should be bragging about your brand. Mass market is dead, we are all faced with collections of individuals. The best marketers are not scientists, but rather artists.
August 18, 2008
Really good, really simple, quick read. Hard to quote cause it's already so simplified and to quality. Tough to pick out what to quote.
Marketing is the art of telling stories. Stories people will pay for the right to believe. This is the new way of selling things. Tell people a story that they already believe. Make a product that fits in with and expands upon their worldview.
Quotes:
"Don't try to change someone's worldview."
"found a shared worldview;
framed a story around that view;
made it easy for the story to spread;
created a new market, which he owns."
"Step 1: Every consumer has a worldview that affects the product you want to sell. That worldview alters the way they interpret everything you say and do. Frame your story in terms of that worldview, and it will be heard."
"Step 2: People only notice stuff that's new and different. And the moment they notice something new, they start making guesses about what to expect next."
"Step 3: Humans are able to make extremely sophisticated judgments in a fraction of a second. And once they've drawn that conclusion, they resist changing it."
"Step 4: Stories let us lie to ourselves. And those lies satisfy our desires. It's the story, not the good or the service you actually sell, that pleases the consumer."
"The only robust, predictable strategy is a simple one: to be authentic. To do what you say you're going to do. To live the lie, fully and completely."
"The good news is clear:authentic marketing, from one human to another, is extremely powerful. Telling a story authentically, creating a product or service that actually does what you say it will leads to a different sort of endgame. The marketer wins and so do her customers."
"There are four reasons your new release failed:
1. No one noticed it.
2. People noticed it but decided they didn't want to try it.
3. People tried it but decided no to keep using it.
4. People liked it but didn't tell their friends."
"IF you hope to sell a product or service or candidate or organization that affects the way people feel,
AND IF you hope to get a premium (in revenue or in marketshare or in votes) for that feeling,
THEN you must refocus your efforts. Concentrate on the story you tell. The story you tell affects the way your audience feels about the product. The story, when you come right down to it, is the product.
SOME CONSUMERS will avoid or resist or deny you your story. That's okay. Tell you story to people who want to hear it, who want to believe it, who will tell their friends.
BEFORE you begin to tell your story you have no choice but to live that story. To make it authentic. Every action you take and ever signal you send has to be in support of the story.
FINALLY, realize that you are in a powerful position and use that power to do the right thing, to tell the whole truth and to spread ideas worth spreading."
Marketing is the art of telling stories. Stories people will pay for the right to believe. This is the new way of selling things. Tell people a story that they already believe. Make a product that fits in with and expands upon their worldview.
Quotes:
"Don't try to change someone's worldview."
"found a shared worldview;
framed a story around that view;
made it easy for the story to spread;
created a new market, which he owns."
"Step 1: Every consumer has a worldview that affects the product you want to sell. That worldview alters the way they interpret everything you say and do. Frame your story in terms of that worldview, and it will be heard."
"Step 2: People only notice stuff that's new and different. And the moment they notice something new, they start making guesses about what to expect next."
"Step 3: Humans are able to make extremely sophisticated judgments in a fraction of a second. And once they've drawn that conclusion, they resist changing it."
"Step 4: Stories let us lie to ourselves. And those lies satisfy our desires. It's the story, not the good or the service you actually sell, that pleases the consumer."
"The only robust, predictable strategy is a simple one: to be authentic. To do what you say you're going to do. To live the lie, fully and completely."
"The good news is clear:authentic marketing, from one human to another, is extremely powerful. Telling a story authentically, creating a product or service that actually does what you say it will leads to a different sort of endgame. The marketer wins and so do her customers."
"There are four reasons your new release failed:
1. No one noticed it.
2. People noticed it but decided they didn't want to try it.
3. People tried it but decided no to keep using it.
4. People liked it but didn't tell their friends."
"IF you hope to sell a product or service or candidate or organization that affects the way people feel,
AND IF you hope to get a premium (in revenue or in marketshare or in votes) for that feeling,
THEN you must refocus your efforts. Concentrate on the story you tell. The story you tell affects the way your audience feels about the product. The story, when you come right down to it, is the product.
SOME CONSUMERS will avoid or resist or deny you your story. That's okay. Tell you story to people who want to hear it, who want to believe it, who will tell their friends.
BEFORE you begin to tell your story you have no choice but to live that story. To make it authentic. Every action you take and ever signal you send has to be in support of the story.
FINALLY, realize that you are in a powerful position and use that power to do the right thing, to tell the whole truth and to spread ideas worth spreading."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2012
How Marketing Works (When it Works)
Step 1: Their worldview and frames got there before you did. A consumer's worldview affects the way he notices things and understands them. If a story is framed in terms of that worldview, he's more likely to believe it.
Step 2: People only notice the new and then make a guess. Consumers notice something only when it changes.
Step 3: First impressions start the story. A first impression causes the consumer to make a very quick, permanent judgment about what he was just exposed to.
Step 4: Great marketers tell stories we believe. The marketer tells a story about what the consumer notices. The story changes the way the consumer experiences the product or service and he tells himself a lie. Consumers make a prediction about what will happen next. Consumers rationalize anything that doesn't match that prediction.
Step 5: Marketers with authenticity thrive. The authenticity of the story determines whether it will survive scrutiny long enough for the consumer to tell the story to other people. Sometimes marketing is so powerful it can actually change the worldview of someone who experiences it, but no marketing succeeds if it can't find an audience that already wants to believe the story being told.
Worldview is the term I use to refer to the rules, values, beliefs, and biases that an individual consumer brings to a situation.
If Jason got completely screwed the last time he bought a car from a used-car salesman, the worldview he has when visiting a dealership four years later is a little different than that of someone who is buying her third car in four years from the same place.
If Rebecca sees her job as purchasing agent for a big company as one where she should avoid risks, she'll view that new salesperson in her office very differently than if her understanding of her job is that she should cut costs by innovating and trying new alternatives.
Frames are elements of a story painted to leverage the worldview a consumer already has. Krispy Kreme did it with the phrase Hot Donuts. Hot means fresh and sensual and decadent. Pile that onto the way some of us feel about donuts and they had tapped into an existing worldview (donuts = sensual = hot = love). It wouldn't work on everyone, but until people changed their worldview (donuts = carbs = get fat), they did great. A frame, in other words, is a way you hang a story on to a consumer's existing worldview.
When a furniture store runs a going out of business sale with banners on every street corner, they're not talking about the furniture. They are framing the story for people who need an excuse to get their cheap spouse to finally get up and go with them to shop for furniture. This frame works on some people, but not on the folks who drive two hundred miles to an antique fair or redecorate whenever Martha tells them to. Different worldviews, different frames.
Marketing succeeds when enough people with similar worldviews come together in a way that allows marketers to reach them cost-effectively.
Your opportunity lies in finding a neglected worldview, framing your story in a way that this audience will focus on and going from there.
A worldview is not who you are. It's what you believe. It's your biases. A worldview is not forever. It's what the consumer believes right now.
The story a consumer tells himself about a new product or service is primarily influenced by the worldview that consumer had before he even knew about the new thing. That worldview affects three things:
1) Attention: the consumer's worldview determines whether she even bothers to pay attention. If she doesn't think she needs a new brand of aspirin or a faster computer, she's far less likely to notice a new one when it appears.
2) Bias: everyone carries around a list of grudges and wishes. When a new product or service appears on your horizon, those predispositions instantly color all the information that comes in.
3) Vernacular: consumers care just as much about how something is said as what is said. They care about the choice of media, the tone of voice, the words that are used - even the way things smell. When the story that's told to the consumer doesn't match the vernacular the consumer expects, weird things happen.
Speaking respectfully to a person's worldview is the price of entry to get their attention. If your message is framed in a way that conflicts with their worldview, you're invisible.
It's not enough to find a niche that shares a worldview. That niche has to be ready and able to influence a large group of their friends.
1) Snap judgments are incredibly powerful.
2) Humans do everything they can to support those initial judgments.
3) They happen whether you want your prospects to make a quick judgment or not.
4) One of the ways people support snap judgments is by telling other people.
5) You never know which input is going to generate the first impression that matters.
6) Authentic organizations and people are far more likely to discover that the story they wish to tell is heard and believed and repeated.
Examples: Stories Framed Around Worldviews
-I believe a home-cooked meal is better for my family.
-I believe shopping for lingerie makes me feel pretty.
-I don't believe marketers.
-I believe sushi tastes better if the chef is Japanese.
-I like books Seth Godin writes.
-I like to beat the system.
-Amazon has the best customer service.
-Organic food is better.
Storytelling works when it actually makes the service or product better.
The good news is clear: authentic marketing, from one human to another, is extremely powerful. Telling a story authentically, creating a product or service that actually does what you say it will leads to a different sort of endgame. The marketer wins and so do her customers. A story that works combined with authenticity and minimized side effects builds a brand (and a business) for the ages.
The only stories that work, the only stories with impact, the only stories that spread are the "I can't believe that!" stories. These are the stories that aren't just repeatable: these are the stories that demand to be repeated.
Your goal should not (must not) be to create a story that is quick, involves no risk, and is without controversy. Boredom will not help you grow.
Explaining failure.
There are four reasons why your new release failed:
1) No one noticed it.
2) People noticed it but decided they didn't want to try it.
3) People tried it but decided not to keep using it.
4) People liked it but didn't tell their friends.
1) Why didn't anyone notice it? Because they weren't looking. They weren't looking because there's too much to look at and not enough time to take it all in, so our default setting is to ignore everything. We walk a supermarket or a tradeshow or skim a stack of resumes and we actually notice very little.
Most of us have a very simple default frame: if it's not remarkable or exceptional, ignore it. If someone tries to sell you something, decline.
Making something a little better doesn't help you because people won't bother noticing it. (The population isn't monolithic, though, so it's likely that some people will bother noticing it. Which leads to the second problem...)
2) Why didn't those who noticed it try it? In most markets, for most products, the frame often carried around says "I'm just looking." Even when we haul ourselves all the way to the mall, that's the answer we give to a prodding salesman. It's also the way we surf the net - rarely clicking on anything, rarely staying on a website for long.
There are segments of the population that are dying to try something. Photography nuts who actively seek out a better lens. Shoe fetishists who will wait in line for a limited edition pair of Nikes. Those are the groups you need to seek out with your story - at least at first.
3) Why didn't they become loyal customers? While those early adopters (who have a bias to try the new stuff) may have tried it, it doesn't fit their modus operandi to come back for more. The very same bias that pushed them to try your product is pushing them to try someone else's tomorrow.
New products grow when they can peel off a few early adopters and persuade them that they have found the answer to their prayers. This only works when they tell their friends, though.
4) Why didn't they tell their friends? Why are voters uncomfortable recommending a political candidate to a stranger? To insist that their friends give money to a favorite charity? To talk with a coworker about a new lingerie store?
Why is it so easy to rave about a restaurant or a new CD but not about a massage therapist or the clever way one can save money by buying a casket a few decades early?
Same answer. Worldview. Long before a marketer showed up and asked (insisted, actually) that a consumer forward some note to all her friends, she figured out her comfort level. A goofy internet video is fine for some people, but you feel really weird talking about gun control. That may not be an intentional delineation on your part, but it's a fact the marketer has to deal with.
Why do certain things grow so fast on the internet (Hotmail, Napster, eBay) while others lie there gathering dust? Because of consumer bias about what people feel comfortable sharing - and not sharing. You can whine about this or you can find a category that's more likely to become an ideavirus and tie it into your frame.
Step 1: Their worldview and frames got there before you did. A consumer's worldview affects the way he notices things and understands them. If a story is framed in terms of that worldview, he's more likely to believe it.
Step 2: People only notice the new and then make a guess. Consumers notice something only when it changes.
Step 3: First impressions start the story. A first impression causes the consumer to make a very quick, permanent judgment about what he was just exposed to.
Step 4: Great marketers tell stories we believe. The marketer tells a story about what the consumer notices. The story changes the way the consumer experiences the product or service and he tells himself a lie. Consumers make a prediction about what will happen next. Consumers rationalize anything that doesn't match that prediction.
Step 5: Marketers with authenticity thrive. The authenticity of the story determines whether it will survive scrutiny long enough for the consumer to tell the story to other people. Sometimes marketing is so powerful it can actually change the worldview of someone who experiences it, but no marketing succeeds if it can't find an audience that already wants to believe the story being told.
Worldview is the term I use to refer to the rules, values, beliefs, and biases that an individual consumer brings to a situation.
If Jason got completely screwed the last time he bought a car from a used-car salesman, the worldview he has when visiting a dealership four years later is a little different than that of someone who is buying her third car in four years from the same place.
If Rebecca sees her job as purchasing agent for a big company as one where she should avoid risks, she'll view that new salesperson in her office very differently than if her understanding of her job is that she should cut costs by innovating and trying new alternatives.
Frames are elements of a story painted to leverage the worldview a consumer already has. Krispy Kreme did it with the phrase Hot Donuts. Hot means fresh and sensual and decadent. Pile that onto the way some of us feel about donuts and they had tapped into an existing worldview (donuts = sensual = hot = love). It wouldn't work on everyone, but until people changed their worldview (donuts = carbs = get fat), they did great. A frame, in other words, is a way you hang a story on to a consumer's existing worldview.
When a furniture store runs a going out of business sale with banners on every street corner, they're not talking about the furniture. They are framing the story for people who need an excuse to get their cheap spouse to finally get up and go with them to shop for furniture. This frame works on some people, but not on the folks who drive two hundred miles to an antique fair or redecorate whenever Martha tells them to. Different worldviews, different frames.
Marketing succeeds when enough people with similar worldviews come together in a way that allows marketers to reach them cost-effectively.
Your opportunity lies in finding a neglected worldview, framing your story in a way that this audience will focus on and going from there.
A worldview is not who you are. It's what you believe. It's your biases. A worldview is not forever. It's what the consumer believes right now.
The story a consumer tells himself about a new product or service is primarily influenced by the worldview that consumer had before he even knew about the new thing. That worldview affects three things:
1) Attention: the consumer's worldview determines whether she even bothers to pay attention. If she doesn't think she needs a new brand of aspirin or a faster computer, she's far less likely to notice a new one when it appears.
2) Bias: everyone carries around a list of grudges and wishes. When a new product or service appears on your horizon, those predispositions instantly color all the information that comes in.
3) Vernacular: consumers care just as much about how something is said as what is said. They care about the choice of media, the tone of voice, the words that are used - even the way things smell. When the story that's told to the consumer doesn't match the vernacular the consumer expects, weird things happen.
Speaking respectfully to a person's worldview is the price of entry to get their attention. If your message is framed in a way that conflicts with their worldview, you're invisible.
It's not enough to find a niche that shares a worldview. That niche has to be ready and able to influence a large group of their friends.
1) Snap judgments are incredibly powerful.
2) Humans do everything they can to support those initial judgments.
3) They happen whether you want your prospects to make a quick judgment or not.
4) One of the ways people support snap judgments is by telling other people.
5) You never know which input is going to generate the first impression that matters.
6) Authentic organizations and people are far more likely to discover that the story they wish to tell is heard and believed and repeated.
Examples: Stories Framed Around Worldviews
-I believe a home-cooked meal is better for my family.
-I believe shopping for lingerie makes me feel pretty.
-I don't believe marketers.
-I believe sushi tastes better if the chef is Japanese.
-I like books Seth Godin writes.
-I like to beat the system.
-Amazon has the best customer service.
-Organic food is better.
Storytelling works when it actually makes the service or product better.
The good news is clear: authentic marketing, from one human to another, is extremely powerful. Telling a story authentically, creating a product or service that actually does what you say it will leads to a different sort of endgame. The marketer wins and so do her customers. A story that works combined with authenticity and minimized side effects builds a brand (and a business) for the ages.
The only stories that work, the only stories with impact, the only stories that spread are the "I can't believe that!" stories. These are the stories that aren't just repeatable: these are the stories that demand to be repeated.
Your goal should not (must not) be to create a story that is quick, involves no risk, and is without controversy. Boredom will not help you grow.
Explaining failure.
There are four reasons why your new release failed:
1) No one noticed it.
2) People noticed it but decided they didn't want to try it.
3) People tried it but decided not to keep using it.
4) People liked it but didn't tell their friends.
1) Why didn't anyone notice it? Because they weren't looking. They weren't looking because there's too much to look at and not enough time to take it all in, so our default setting is to ignore everything. We walk a supermarket or a tradeshow or skim a stack of resumes and we actually notice very little.
Most of us have a very simple default frame: if it's not remarkable or exceptional, ignore it. If someone tries to sell you something, decline.
Making something a little better doesn't help you because people won't bother noticing it. (The population isn't monolithic, though, so it's likely that some people will bother noticing it. Which leads to the second problem...)
2) Why didn't those who noticed it try it? In most markets, for most products, the frame often carried around says "I'm just looking." Even when we haul ourselves all the way to the mall, that's the answer we give to a prodding salesman. It's also the way we surf the net - rarely clicking on anything, rarely staying on a website for long.
There are segments of the population that are dying to try something. Photography nuts who actively seek out a better lens. Shoe fetishists who will wait in line for a limited edition pair of Nikes. Those are the groups you need to seek out with your story - at least at first.
3) Why didn't they become loyal customers? While those early adopters (who have a bias to try the new stuff) may have tried it, it doesn't fit their modus operandi to come back for more. The very same bias that pushed them to try your product is pushing them to try someone else's tomorrow.
New products grow when they can peel off a few early adopters and persuade them that they have found the answer to their prayers. This only works when they tell their friends, though.
4) Why didn't they tell their friends? Why are voters uncomfortable recommending a political candidate to a stranger? To insist that their friends give money to a favorite charity? To talk with a coworker about a new lingerie store?
Why is it so easy to rave about a restaurant or a new CD but not about a massage therapist or the clever way one can save money by buying a casket a few decades early?
Same answer. Worldview. Long before a marketer showed up and asked (insisted, actually) that a consumer forward some note to all her friends, she figured out her comfort level. A goofy internet video is fine for some people, but you feel really weird talking about gun control. That may not be an intentional delineation on your part, but it's a fact the marketer has to deal with.
Why do certain things grow so fast on the internet (Hotmail, Napster, eBay) while others lie there gathering dust? Because of consumer bias about what people feel comfortable sharing - and not sharing. You can whine about this or you can find a category that's more likely to become an ideavirus and tie it into your frame.
October 19, 2013
This was my first Seth Godin.
I've seen his TED talks, his interviews and read his blog at regular intervals. And he was awesome! I knew what he was going to say even before I started reading and agreed wholeheartedly. I was just curious to read how he puts it.
What I didn't expect this book to do, though, was change the way I think. Godin's theory is pretty simple: Tell an authentic story about your brand. Consistently, across all fronts. How he went about telling this story is what the book is all about. And I'm sold, completely.
I began noticing the way strong brands lived their story. The design which sang the same symphony as their product did. Their customer support reps spoke the way I expected them to. Little nuances from a marketing perspective which I hadn't realized before. I also saw through the inconsistencies when a business wasn't sure of their own story. Or didn't have one to begin with. And it blew my mind. I stepped to an entire universe I was just peaking into, earlier.
The book makes you realize how important stories are. In an era of wants, people care more about the way they feel when they buy your product than hardcore facts. The way a pair of Puma feel, compared to shoes ten times cheaper. Soaps don't need to be organic, but we buy them anyway. That's the power of effective story-telling.
As marketers, we know the way we think has everything to do with how we rope in customers. And Seth Godin is someone who I strongly believe we should all have a taste of. `
I really like, how, towards the ending, he suggests similar books the reader might be interested in and why. Being me, I couldn't help thinking, 'Wow! This is nice, must check these books out' and that is when I realized what a good marketer he actually is, because he had succeeded in selling himself.
I've seen his TED talks, his interviews and read his blog at regular intervals. And he was awesome! I knew what he was going to say even before I started reading and agreed wholeheartedly. I was just curious to read how he puts it.
What I didn't expect this book to do, though, was change the way I think. Godin's theory is pretty simple: Tell an authentic story about your brand. Consistently, across all fronts. How he went about telling this story is what the book is all about. And I'm sold, completely.
I began noticing the way strong brands lived their story. The design which sang the same symphony as their product did. Their customer support reps spoke the way I expected them to. Little nuances from a marketing perspective which I hadn't realized before. I also saw through the inconsistencies when a business wasn't sure of their own story. Or didn't have one to begin with. And it blew my mind. I stepped to an entire universe I was just peaking into, earlier.
The book makes you realize how important stories are. In an era of wants, people care more about the way they feel when they buy your product than hardcore facts. The way a pair of Puma feel, compared to shoes ten times cheaper. Soaps don't need to be organic, but we buy them anyway. That's the power of effective story-telling.
As marketers, we know the way we think has everything to do with how we rope in customers. And Seth Godin is someone who I strongly believe we should all have a taste of. `
I really like, how, towards the ending, he suggests similar books the reader might be interested in and why. Being me, I couldn't help thinking, 'Wow! This is nice, must check these books out' and that is when I realized what a good marketer he actually is, because he had succeeded in selling himself.
March 21, 2020
Are you a marketer?
I think you are.
I think you have an idea you'd like to see spread.
I think you'd like people to join your church, vote for your candidate, ask you out on a date or even offer you a job.
If you've got employees - I bet you'd like them to do more of what you're hoping they'll do.
If you're applying for a loan, I bet you're hoping you'll get it.
Everyday all of us market.
Some of us are really lousy at it and worse - believe the reason for our failure is some sort of intrinsic inadequacy...
It's not. You're just not good at telling stories... yet.
I think you are.
I think you have an idea you'd like to see spread.
I think you'd like people to join your church, vote for your candidate, ask you out on a date or even offer you a job.
If you've got employees - I bet you'd like them to do more of what you're hoping they'll do.
If you're applying for a loan, I bet you're hoping you'll get it.
Everyday all of us market.
Some of us are really lousy at it and worse - believe the reason for our failure is some sort of intrinsic inadequacy...
It's not. You're just not good at telling stories... yet.
September 10, 2021
Godin shows how to use storytelling as marketing. He says that the successful marketers are those who honestly tell a story people want to believe and share. He describes principles and plenty of specific examples. There’s no filler.
Despite the title, Godin isn’t advocating lying. He calls the stories that consumers believes “lies,” because they often aren’t completely factually accurate. Stories are the lies consumers tell themselves based on the emotional need they want to fill by acquiring a product or service.
Summary
Your story is your product. People want to know it. Make it consistent and authentic. Frame it in terms of the worldview of the person you’re telling the story to (marketing to). Live it out loud. Support it with every action you take, and your packaging, ads, customer service, etc. Don’t worry about those who don’t want to hear it. Tell it to those who will listen, believe, and tell their friends.
Highlights
When people expect a certain outcome, their brains filter their experience to match. “People tell themselves stories and then work hard to make them true.” For example, at a raved-about restaurant, people remember the good and forget the bad.
“The story is what people set out to buy.” “Lies satisfy our desires. It’s the story, not the good or the service that you actually sell, that pleases the consumer.” “Nobody buys pure design … They buy the way the process makes them feel.”
"Stories (not ideas, not features, not benefits) spread from person-to-person.”
“The best stories don’t teach people anything new. Instead, the best stories agree with what the audience already believes and makes the members of the audience feel smart and secure when reminded how right they were in the first place.”
Their Worldview
Find a shared worldview and frame a story around that view.
Don’t try to change someone’s worldview. Don’t try to use the facts to prove your case.
Instead of targeting niches, target the much bigger opportunity: overlooked big markets comprised of people with complementary worldviews.
“It’s not enough to find a niche that shares a worldview. That niche has to be ready and able to influence a large group of their friends.” “They can turn a small market into a cult, into a movement and then a trend, and finally into a mass market.” Seek out early adopters (those who want to try new stuff), persuade some that you’ve found “the answer” they’re seeking. "You succeed by being an extremist in your storytelling, then gracefully moving your product or service to the middle so it becomes more palatable to audiences that are persuaded by their friends, not by you.”
Marketing
Marketers succeed by creating an emotional want, not by filling a simple need.
In marketing, "you have to hint at the facts, not announce them. You cannot prove your way into a sale - you gain a customer when the customer proves to herself that you’re a good choice."
Tell a different story than your competitors. “Persuade those listening that your story is more important than the story they currently believe.” Tell a story that’s different in kind, not in degree.
The only stories that spread are the remarkable ones; the “I can’t believe that!” stories.
Despite the title, Godin isn’t advocating lying. He calls the stories that consumers believes “lies,” because they often aren’t completely factually accurate. Stories are the lies consumers tell themselves based on the emotional need they want to fill by acquiring a product or service.
Summary
Your story is your product. People want to know it. Make it consistent and authentic. Frame it in terms of the worldview of the person you’re telling the story to (marketing to). Live it out loud. Support it with every action you take, and your packaging, ads, customer service, etc. Don’t worry about those who don’t want to hear it. Tell it to those who will listen, believe, and tell their friends.
Highlights
When people expect a certain outcome, their brains filter their experience to match. “People tell themselves stories and then work hard to make them true.” For example, at a raved-about restaurant, people remember the good and forget the bad.
“The story is what people set out to buy.” “Lies satisfy our desires. It’s the story, not the good or the service that you actually sell, that pleases the consumer.” “Nobody buys pure design … They buy the way the process makes them feel.”
"Stories (not ideas, not features, not benefits) spread from person-to-person.”
“The best stories don’t teach people anything new. Instead, the best stories agree with what the audience already believes and makes the members of the audience feel smart and secure when reminded how right they were in the first place.”
Their Worldview
Find a shared worldview and frame a story around that view.
Don’t try to change someone’s worldview. Don’t try to use the facts to prove your case.
Instead of targeting niches, target the much bigger opportunity: overlooked big markets comprised of people with complementary worldviews.
“It’s not enough to find a niche that shares a worldview. That niche has to be ready and able to influence a large group of their friends.” “They can turn a small market into a cult, into a movement and then a trend, and finally into a mass market.” Seek out early adopters (those who want to try new stuff), persuade some that you’ve found “the answer” they’re seeking. "You succeed by being an extremist in your storytelling, then gracefully moving your product or service to the middle so it becomes more palatable to audiences that are persuaded by their friends, not by you.”
Marketing
Marketers succeed by creating an emotional want, not by filling a simple need.
In marketing, "you have to hint at the facts, not announce them. You cannot prove your way into a sale - you gain a customer when the customer proves to herself that you’re a good choice."
Tell a different story than your competitors. “Persuade those listening that your story is more important than the story they currently believe.” Tell a story that’s different in kind, not in degree.
The only stories that spread are the remarkable ones; the “I can’t believe that!” stories.
October 21, 2017
1) We buy stories, not features.
2) Word of mouth marketing is still the best marketing possible.
3) "Reframe it, till you make it :D"
While listening to the book I definitely started listening to radio/online ads more carefully trying to understand, why did the person say the phrase in that way. My friends and I organize a conference as a hobby and I started thinking about our conference in terms of the story people experience, rather than just a conference with speakers they attend. I spotted, how we automatically framed some of our communication in way which matches the audience we target.
Bottomline: 5. It's a good entry-level book for people who want to understand basics of storytelling, listen to some engaging stories, remember the power of reframing, oxymorons and starting with small markets/audiences.
2) Word of mouth marketing is still the best marketing possible.
3) "Reframe it, till you make it :D"
While listening to the book I definitely started listening to radio/online ads more carefully trying to understand, why did the person say the phrase in that way. My friends and I organize a conference as a hobby and I started thinking about our conference in terms of the story people experience, rather than just a conference with speakers they attend. I spotted, how we automatically framed some of our communication in way which matches the audience we target.
Bottomline: 5. It's a good entry-level book for people who want to understand basics of storytelling, listen to some engaging stories, remember the power of reframing, oxymorons and starting with small markets/audiences.
April 2, 2020
Good and short one.
March 18, 2018
This is a gem of a book. It discusses marketing concepts that are extremely relevant in today's world.It is a must read for marketers, product managers and entrepreneurs. It gives an in depth understanding of what the consumer thinks and how one can sell him anything if he knows the worldview the consumer represents.
May 30, 2013
Seth Godin’s typical overstated and shocking title made me think twice before digging in, but as I started plowing through the work I realized that his approach actually makes a lot of sense. There were a couple points that I disagreed with along the way, but overall I get where he is going. Godin says that everyone wants to hear a story, a narrative, that fits with how they view life (worldview). If we frame the story that we tell in relation to this specific worldview, we will end up telling them the story that they want to hear and have the potential of making their lives better for having done so. Where the story breaks down is if our product or service actually ends up harming the customer. While every marketer tells the customer a story that makes them believe in the product or service so that they (the customer) can then lie to themselves in order to convince themselves that they really should buy it, some marketers use this power to fulfill that customer’s want, and others use this power to fulfill their own wants to the detriment of the customer. In the end it is a question of whether I’m using the powerful marketing tools at my disposal to serve my customers and tell them the stories they’ve been waiting for or whether I’m using those tools to further my own agenda to the harm of the customer or community or environment.
There are a ton of really good true to life examples of stories told well and poorly and stories told ethically and unethically. Godin uses examples and tailors his explanations towards a broad variety of industries. In the end, if you’re trying to understand how to take a unique product or service that truly serves your customer and make that connection between the want and the perceived solution, this is the book for you.
There are a ton of really good true to life examples of stories told well and poorly and stories told ethically and unethically. Godin uses examples and tailors his explanations towards a broad variety of industries. In the end, if you’re trying to understand how to take a unique product or service that truly serves your customer and make that connection between the want and the perceived solution, this is the book for you.
September 17, 2014
This book builds on Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by showing that every remarkable product needs a story worth talking about. In many cases, we don't even buy the products themselves -- we buy them because of how they make us feel, because of the story it lets us tell ourselves.
Every story needs to be framed for a specific worldview. The story of Fox News is framed for conservatives who feel betrayed by mainstream media. The story of fancy watch or car is framed for people who feel important, powerful, and accomplished -- they're willing to spend more than they "need" to on these items.
Most importantly, the story has to be authentic. It can be a lie, but 1) it has a to be a lie that benefits you and your customers, and 2) you have to live the lie in everything you do. Otherwise, if the lie is harmful, or you aren't living up to it, your customers will know. If you tell a story that your restaurant is a hidden gem with amazing food, but then you start slacking on quality when you get popular, you're now a fraud. And frauds get found out.
This is a great way to think about marketing, and you can practice it on any product or service you run across. Why did you buy that? How does it make you feel? What worldview of yours is its story addressing? Does it make you want to tell your friends? Why or why not?
Every story needs to be framed for a specific worldview. The story of Fox News is framed for conservatives who feel betrayed by mainstream media. The story of fancy watch or car is framed for people who feel important, powerful, and accomplished -- they're willing to spend more than they "need" to on these items.
Most importantly, the story has to be authentic. It can be a lie, but 1) it has a to be a lie that benefits you and your customers, and 2) you have to live the lie in everything you do. Otherwise, if the lie is harmful, or you aren't living up to it, your customers will know. If you tell a story that your restaurant is a hidden gem with amazing food, but then you start slacking on quality when you get popular, you're now a fraud. And frauds get found out.
This is a great way to think about marketing, and you can practice it on any product or service you run across. Why did you buy that? How does it make you feel? What worldview of yours is its story addressing? Does it make you want to tell your friends? Why or why not?
December 1, 2012
The marketing paradigm has changed: throwing money at blasting general audiences won't work; nobody watches commercials any more and they wouldn't believe them if they did; it's instead necessary to build a remarkable product and tell a gripping and authentic story to early adopters with a compatible worldview that will share it with their friends.
January 2, 2016
It's actually funny that this book about marketing actually can help you in...writing. Yes, that's the "Authentic Stories" part.
Also, it has a very good approach to marketing, different from the spam or other bothersome ad that actually pushes people away. Really good thoughts on people's worldview as well.
Last, never hurts to understand some facets of business.
Also, it has a very good approach to marketing, different from the spam or other bothersome ad that actually pushes people away. Really good thoughts on people's worldview as well.
Last, never hurts to understand some facets of business.
September 20, 2017
This book does an excellent job of describing how effective marketers ‘tell stories’ and connect with consumers whose world view lines up with the goods or services they are peddling.
September 8, 2016
Prima carte scrisă de Seth Godin pe care am citit-o. Cu siguranță nu și ultima.
July 19, 2024
This was another oldie but goodie I picked up to inspire my creative flow. While some of the examples are now dated, the core message is still just as relevant today as it was when the book was published in 2005. Marketers are storytellers and while you may have the better product, in a sea of competitors, it's the story and the execution that drive sales, not the value of the product.
The target market already has a story about themselves, and the story you tell as a marketer has to align with that viewpoint. They're not going to change their ideas about the world just because you say they should. In fact, that may cause them to dig in even harder to avoid your product.
It's also important that in crafting that winning story, we don't include blatant falsehoods to deceive the public into believing the product is something it isn't. Not only is it morally reprehensible, but if the deception comes to light, it can destroy a business.
This was a great book to read because it was quick and direct, which allowed my mind to churn out ideas in the background as I was reading. Seth Godin has always had that gift, so I highly recommend his books to any marketer who just needs a little refresher now and then to stay motivated.
The target market already has a story about themselves, and the story you tell as a marketer has to align with that viewpoint. They're not going to change their ideas about the world just because you say they should. In fact, that may cause them to dig in even harder to avoid your product.
It's also important that in crafting that winning story, we don't include blatant falsehoods to deceive the public into believing the product is something it isn't. Not only is it morally reprehensible, but if the deception comes to light, it can destroy a business.
This was a great book to read because it was quick and direct, which allowed my mind to churn out ideas in the background as I was reading. Seth Godin has always had that gift, so I highly recommend his books to any marketer who just needs a little refresher now and then to stay motivated.
October 20, 2020
I listened to the audiobook version.
This book was a bit outdated since it came out 2005 and therefore Seth couldn’t expound his ideas on social media which didn’t exist at the time.
I still found the book valuable and the overall delivery on the lessons were great.
I love Seth’s way of looking at marketing. It’s non-traditional and has a human approach to it.
key takeaways: people don’t buy because of necessity nowadays so a good story is a must, storytelling is the way to market a product that later on will sell itself through chain effect, a good story doesn’t necessarily mean that a product will sell itself (you have to have product-market fit), don’t lie and be transparent with a sprinkle of storytelling
This book was a bit outdated since it came out 2005 and therefore Seth couldn’t expound his ideas on social media which didn’t exist at the time.
I still found the book valuable and the overall delivery on the lessons were great.
I love Seth’s way of looking at marketing. It’s non-traditional and has a human approach to it.
key takeaways: people don’t buy because of necessity nowadays so a good story is a must, storytelling is the way to market a product that later on will sell itself through chain effect, a good story doesn’t necessarily mean that a product will sell itself (you have to have product-market fit), don’t lie and be transparent with a sprinkle of storytelling
April 9, 2018
Fantastic book. Resonates well with Influence Without Authority. The big points here are that everyone should be marketing to the worldview people have, not trying to change people's worldview to fit what's being sold, and then to follow through on what's been guaranteed through that advertising. Everything else is essentially a case study. Godin goes into detail describing the difference between our worldviews and actual reality and how that difference can be maliciously or positively exploited by knowledgeable people in the market. Authenticity is a big part of it. Not just walking the talk but living the talk. He explicitly says that this book goes hand in hand with his other books in this series (Purple Cow, Free Prize Inside, and We Are All Weird).
January 15, 2020
Bon. Conclusie: je moet verhalen vertellen om je product of dienst te verkopen.
Zover was ik al. Het enige probleem is dat je een verhaal moet vertellen dat je zelf ook gelooft. Aangezien ik rondloop met een imposter syndrome van jewelste, is dat makkelijker gezegd dan gedaan. Ik geloof in mijn verhaal, maar ik geloof niet in mezelf.
Daar is ongetwijfeld ook wel ergens een boek rond te vinden, vermoed ik.
Soit. Er is nog werk aan de winkel. En opnieuw een interessant boek van Seth Godin. Die mens gelooft duidelijk wél in zijn eigen boodschap en heeft geen last van imposter syndrome.
Zover was ik al. Het enige probleem is dat je een verhaal moet vertellen dat je zelf ook gelooft. Aangezien ik rondloop met een imposter syndrome van jewelste, is dat makkelijker gezegd dan gedaan. Ik geloof in mijn verhaal, maar ik geloof niet in mezelf.
Daar is ongetwijfeld ook wel ergens een boek rond te vinden, vermoed ik.
Soit. Er is nog werk aan de winkel. En opnieuw een interessant boek van Seth Godin. Die mens gelooft duidelijk wél in zijn eigen boodschap en heeft geen last van imposter syndrome.
April 5, 2020
If you are new to the marketing field, interested in it or see a future in it than I highly recommend this book to you. Because I see myself in this field in the near future and this book has made me more interested and given me the confident to become a better storyteller.
And people already in the marketing field will find it reenforcing what they have been doing already.
Overall this book has been an eye opener for me and has compelled me to change my worldview towards marketing.
And people already in the marketing field will find it reenforcing what they have been doing already.
Overall this book has been an eye opener for me and has compelled me to change my worldview towards marketing.
July 10, 2021
O carte cu exemple și mini studii de caz despre cum să spui povești remarcabile.
Povești care vând.
Seth Godin vorbește despre marketingul prin conținut sau storytelling. Propune convingerea unui grup mic de oameni care să fie "complici" în disiminarea poveștii.
,,Marketingul bazat pe permisiunea clientului funcționează mai bine decât spasmul".
E genul de carte, care deși are sub 200 de pagini, o citești cu pixul în mână, te oprești, reiei. Reflecți. Îți notezi unele idei.
E genul de carte din care înveți.
Povești care vând.
Seth Godin vorbește despre marketingul prin conținut sau storytelling. Propune convingerea unui grup mic de oameni care să fie "complici" în disiminarea poveștii.
,,Marketingul bazat pe permisiunea clientului funcționează mai bine decât spasmul".
E genul de carte, care deși are sub 200 de pagini, o citești cu pixul în mână, te oprești, reiei. Reflecți. Îți notezi unele idei.
E genul de carte din care înveți.
December 28, 2023
Pazarlamayı basite indirgeyen ve kendini çok fazla tekrarlayan bir kitaptı. Anlatmak istediğini çok daha az sayfada da verebilirdi, biraz laf salatası olmuş. Okuduğumda ufkumu genişletmesini bekliyordum ancak beklentimi karşılamadı. Kitleyi iyi tanıyarak onlara var olan bir dünya görüşüyle ilgili hikaye anlatmamızı öğütleyen bir kitap olarak tek cümlede özetlenebilir. Zaten bunun nasıl yapılacağı hakkında fazla yüzeysel kalmıştı. Konuya yabancı olan birisi için belki ilk bakışta dikkat çekici bir kitap gibi görünebilir ancak içerik olarak yeterli olduğunu düşünmüyorum.
January 23, 2019
This was a perfect supplement to “The Purple Cow”, another book by Seth Godin. I think his approach to marketing is useful for entrepreneurs in today’s consumer economy where there sheer volume of choice in just about any industry makes it difficult to successfully compete using traditional tactics. A good product has a good story: a story that is believable even after the experience, and has to be told over and over again.
February 21, 2020
Nice quick read. I read it in 3 days and I am a slow reader. The main focus is around creating a story for your business to thrive. Although, parts of the book are a little repetitive I still felt it was a valuable read. The questions Seth give you at the end to form your own story that fits with your audience world view is great.
April 23, 2017
Interesting takes and insights on marketing in the social media driven world.
Seth really had marketing down to a science.
Taking a storytelling view to influence a small group who will then take it mainstream.
This book will teach you how to market your product successfully in the digital era.
Seth really had marketing down to a science.
Taking a storytelling view to influence a small group who will then take it mainstream.
This book will teach you how to market your product successfully in the digital era.
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