All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low Trust World
by Seth Godin
Portfolio (2005)
While reading Seth’s new book Linchpin, I’m reflecting on his earlier inspiring work.
Every marketer tells a story. And if they do it right, we believe them. That belief makes their story true. In this concept, liars are storytellers. Marketers succeed when they tell us a story we embrace and share. We become a member of the marketers tribe and then pass this story onto our own tribe (much like writing this blog). It is up to the consumer and her tribe members to interpret the authenticity of the marketing. A marketer’s performance must live up to the effort we perceive. More authenticity generally equals good work, a more creative lifestyle, and more success.
Godin’s visionary yet short book is not hard reading. Read with care, it will fire off many ideas about our world and our responsibility to connect to it through our work and the sharing of our efforts.
Godin appeals to young people growing up in the Internet Age because he is spot-on with his understanding of the changing world of instant communication. However, All Marketers Are Liars is applicable to old folks like me who want to be tuned into the vitality offered by new business techniques being generated by our resourceful, “No BS” young folks who are making a difference in this rapidly changing business world.
A must-read for today’s small business person.
Comments are closed.