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Meatball Sundae

By Seth Godin

Summary/Book Overview:

Seth Godin's latest book makes it clear that though marketing methods continue to evolve, not all methods are a good fit for every company. New Marketing tactics are like ice cream toppings, but if they’re laid over a foundation of spaghetti and meatballs the end result is a disaster. Companies, and marketers that serve those companies, need to make sure their organization is aligned with its marketing tactics and vice versa. Every aspect of interacting with customers needs to be revisited as a growth opportunity.

Godin outlines 14 key societal trends that have changed the way marketing and commerce are enacted:

  1. Direct communication and commerce between producers and consumers.
  2. Amplification of the voice of the consumer and independent authorities.
  3. Stories spread, not facts.
  4. Extremely short attention spans due to clutter.
  5. The Long Tail: given the choice, people want choice.
  6. Outsourcing.
  7. Google and the dicing of everything.
  8. Infinite channels of communication.
  9. Direct communication and commerce between consumers and consumers.
  10. The shifts in scarcity and abundance.
  11. The triumph of Big Ideas.
  12. The shift from “how many” to “who”.
  13. Democratization of the wealthy.
  14. New gatekeepers. No gatekeepers.

Godin supports his theories by detailing the principles and by presenting case studies and examples of how companies in various industries have achieved success by adapting their model – or conversely, have been unsuccessful because of a failure to do so.

"The 'operating system' for marketers is now fundamentally changing. It doesn't matter how big your market share is today. If your product and your marketing are optimized for the older model, you will be defeated by the relentless tide of the New Marketing and the products and services that are designed for it." (p 182)

Recommended Readers (who should read it (titles) and why):

You should read this book if you’ve asked, or have been asked, questions similar to any of the following:

    1. Shouldn’t we have a blog?
    2. How can my website be optimized to sell more of my company’s products/services?
    3. If our customers know us, do we need to pay for Search Marketing?
    4. Should we promote one core offering or give consumers choices?
    5. Is a YouTube video a good choice for getting our name out there?

Business owners, CEOs, presidents, and high-ranking executives at companies would benefit the most from Meatball Sundae, as would those that provide marketing services to them.

Top Takeaways:

  • Ideas spread through groups of people are far more powerful than ideas delivered at an individual level. Movements are more powerful than advertisements. Communication is no longer about interrupting masses of people with ads.
  • New marketing demands better products and services and organizations that are in touch with consumers. Every interaction becomes a form of media, combating lack of attention. Make products, services, and stories that appeal to the reachable and then grow that group by serving them – not by yelling at them. Give consumers more choices in what they purchase and how they interact with you.
  • Marketing in a noisy marketplace means that complex messages rarely get through. Clutter demands bigger ideas that force people to sit up and take notice. But big ideas are more than advertising concepts, they’re a shift to a fundamental solution that is in sync with the times.  The idea needs to be embedded into the experience of the product itself. New Marketing is not about technology any more than fast food is about cars. Technology is the delivery mechanism.
  • You are not in charge, the consumer is.

 

About the Author:

Source: http://www.sethgodin.com


Seth Godin is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and agent of change. Godin has authored ten books that have been bestsellers around the world. His most recent titles include The Dip and Meatball Sundae. His best-selling books have transformed the way people think about marketing, change, and work.


Godin is also a renowned speaker. He was recently chosen as one of 21 Speakers for the Next Century by Successful Meetings and is consistently rated among the very best speakers by the audiences he addresses.
Godin was founder and CEO of Yoyodyne, the industry's leading interactive direct marketing company, which Yahoo! acquired in late 1998.


He holds an MBA from Stanford, and was called "the Ultimate Entrepreneur for the Information Age" by Business Week.

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