The Power of Dumb Ideas
The recently released book, “The Big Moo: Stop Trying to be Perfect and Start Being Remarkable,” contends that advertising guru’s David Ogilvy’s “big idea” and Bill Bernbach's belief “that not to be different is filely suicidal” doesn’t work in today’s 8 billion channel world. Editor of the book, Seth Godin, points to what he calls “the simple, dumb truth” for success in business today.*
Imitation Across Industries Is More Efficient and Effective Than Blue-Sky Creativity and Innovation. Appropriating existing marketing concepts is cheaper — and certainly quicker to implement — than developing new ones. The secret is bringing a great idea from another market or industry to your market or industry.
The Energy Isn’t in the Idea; it’s in the Execution. Every manager, from the middle on up, knows that the secret to success lies not in strategy, but in galvanizing a team to implement the strategy. The hard work of marketing lies not in developing a groundbreaking product or the communications scheme for it, but in coordinating the efforts of R&D, manufacturing, finance, communications, sales, or some set of sub-units. Do this once, and you’ve created a cross-functional team that knows how to do it over and over again, and whose enthusiasm itself communicates volumes.
You Must Create True Believers Before You Can Win New Converts. The president of a major U.S. auto company was asked whether any studies had been done to determine which factors distinguished superior salespeople from average salespeople. He said the only research he’d ever seen found no differences in age, education, sex, race, or family background, but did reveal one distinct variable: the number of times the individual went back and attempted to close the sale. Faith in yourself and in your colleagues is a necessary predisposition for marketers; the best ones convey that faith outwardly, eventually subsuming their customers and clients. The most powerful marketing ideas create and reinforce that kind of faith.
It’s Your Context That Counts. The big idea doesn’t have to be the brand-new idea. Something common to the word at large may be very new to you and your organization. This is more than enough to galvanize the team, create faith, and build the world’s greatest marketing department.
Pick up the book at your local bookstore to get the rest of Godin’s “simple, dumb truths.” They’re not so simple and not so dumb!
Talk to you soon,
Kae Groshong Wagner
CEO, Founder — North Star Marketing
Award-winning Author, Speaker
Brand Consultant
CEO Advisor for Sales & Marketing