Epiphany's Little Book of Ideas: Digital shift and markets of one
In the sixth short excerpt from Epiphany’s Little Book of Ideas, published in association with The Drum, Dr David Mihell introduces Seth Godin's ideas on marketing to the long-tail…
Epiphany's Little Book of Ideas
Are we making the most of difference?
Changes in the way we can segment audiences - and make the most of differences – could be the most important change to marketing in the last 50 years. Whilst best sellers still matter, so does the “long tail” or the “edges” - those individuals and their communities that want something else, something just for them.
Immersion can make it hard to remember how significant changes have been: and that’s why it’s great to have people like Seth Godin around. Seth Godin refers to those people at the edge as “weird”, but in a positive way; weird because they are different from the middle (the average) and positive because they are choosing and celebrating being different.
It’s a theme across many of his books but gets particular attention in ‘We Are All Weird’, in which he writes, “Since each market is now a market of one and market of now, the marketer has no choice but to surrender all pretense to mass.”
Digital infrastructure – and the data that is created when we use it – enables the delivery of truly personalised messages and propositions.
Godin reminds us of the power of careful digital advertising, “We don’t like the advertising that’s not for us, not about us, not interesting to us. But talk to me, directly to me, about something relevant and personal, and I will love you for it.”
Perhaps the greatest opportunity for marketers lies in understanding the differences that people celebrate, then nurturing and influencing those audiences. Or, as Mr Godin puts it, accessing the markets of “one” that have replaced the mass.
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About Epiphany’s Little Book of Ideas
The Little Book of Ideas is a collection of 20 of the most powerful ideas on marketing and strategic thinking, published by Epiphany in association with The Drum on 5th March 2014.
Each idea was handpicked by Epiphany’s Tom Salmon and Dr David Mihell because of its potential to produce better marketing. To shape strategy. To create change. To build more successful brands.
Complete with models, exercises and tips, it’s designed as a practical companion for marketers and strategists to use whenever they need inspiration or help addressing their most fundamental marketing challenges. Subscribers of The Drum received the book on 5th March. Get in touch using #littleorangebook if you would like to receive a copy.