Amazing to see that as the tide shifts in favor of social media being the dominant way to communicate online, Godin’s “Permission Marketing” ideas are even more relevant.

8 mins with Godin:

Good marketing is a lie as it’s less about the actual product and more about the story behind it. That’s why Godin believes good marketing gives a brand the freedom (or leverage) to do something really good with its product or technology. Do the marketing first, make sure your ideas spread then worry about the product! The mistake, he says is looking at it the other way around.

This is an oldie but a goody (Godin 2007 talking at a Google conference).

Godin’s analogy about the ’story’ is a little limited. It’s what the brand represents or how it is generally percieved that helps it sell. If it resonates with the individual (or even more so with what he or she strives to be) there lies its mass appeal. Could we call that a brand’s personal zeitgeist?

Look at the iPod or even Apple products in general - it represents something edgy, creative, fresh, not for the ‘general’ uninspiring populace and this works because many of us strive to have these adjectives next to our names (especially in the creative community). Think the “I’m a Mac and I’m a PC campaign” - who would most people want to befriend (or be known as) - the conservative, guarded guy or the relaxed and witty one?

Is the Macintosh a better technological solution than the PC? Is the iPod better than the iRiver? These questions probably matter less than whether the brand resonates with who we are or want to be. If the brand sits well with our identity, a lot of people are more than willing to pay the higher price tag!

Get creative with stock photos, stock footage & production music from photolibrary.com