What’s the deal with Seth Godin?
A fresh perspective on marketing and how it is truly different.
Even if you have only had one conversation about marketing you have probably heard about Seth Godin. They say he is changing the world of marketing, but the question is how? What is his perspective all about?
At the core of Godin’s perspective is his emphasis on people. Unlike the traditional approach to marketing Godin says that marketers are in the business of serving others. He says that you must first determine who your customers are, find out what they want and what problems they have. Godin says you must use marketing to show your customers how you can help them become better people and achieve what they want to achieve. In his opinion brands must start with their target market and then determine what they can uniquely offer them. Godin emphasizes that marketing is no longer about getting a customer to buy a simple product, it is now about helping your customers become who they want to become.
Decades ago, everyone assumed that the way to be successful was to create a product and then determine what group of people that product best suited. Later, there was a shift in the general understanding and marketers stopped finding people for their products and instead created products for their people. Today, Godin is leading another industry shift, one that might be even more significant than the last one. He says, no longer must we create products for our people now, we must understand our people, find out what motivates them, scares them, excites them, and so on. He says we must create a relationship with our target market and once we do, we must offer them a solution to their problems. Godin says marketing is no longer about products. It is about people and desires.
This idea has been a part of marketing for a very long time but most would never have gone as far as saying it is the main idea to live by. Godin has. He is showing the world the true power of people and marketing. Industries change and now it is marketing’s turn to reimagine what it can look like.
Do you think Godin is truly a revolutionary or are his ideas just part of a passing fad? Let me know in the comments below!
Best,
Rachel
