Ted Tuesday: The Incomparable Seth Godin "Tribes We Lead"

Mass marketing, according to Seth Godin, requires average ideas. Because to sell in volume, you must cater to the average consumer. 

But what if you what to be remarkable?

Good Morning Folks,

In this 2009 presentation with over 1.5 million views, the legendary Seth Godin talks about the merits of not just a great idea, but how to find the right people to help that message spread. It's easy to look online and find every social media pundit blogging or tweeting about community management and building a strong brand evangelist platform, but many get it wrong. What we're looking to do is to build tribes of like-minded people. 

Seth Godin argues the Internet has ended mass marketing and revived a human social unit from the distant past: tribes. Founded on shared ideas and values, tribes give ordinary people the power to lead and make big change. He urges us to do so.

Godin has some really good news for you. With the Internet, you can share your product or idea without targeting the masses. Instead, you can build your own tribe.

"Seth Godin may be the ultimate entrepreneur for the Information Age," Mary Kuntz wrote in Business Week nearly a decade ago. "Instead of widgets or car parts, he specializes in ideas -- usually, but not always, his own." In fact, he's as focused on spreading ideas as he is on the ideas themselves. 

After working as a software brand manager in the mid-1980s, Godin started Yoyodyne, one of the first Internet-based direct-marketing firms, with the notion that companies needed to rethink how they reached customers. His efforts caught the attention of Yahoo!, which bought the company in 1998 and kept Godin on as a vice president of permission marketing. Godin has produced several critically acclaimed and attention-grabbing books, including Permission Marketing, All Marketers Are Liars, and Purple Cow (which was distributed in a milk carton). In 2005, Godin founded Squidoo.com, a Web site where users can share links and information about an idea or topic important to them.

Blogs Samantha:

Looking back on Seth Godin’s speech, I remember feeling very inspired. He made me want to get up and do something, change something, become something. It sounded perfectly clear once he spoke it, why hadn’t I seen it before? There are a lot of different things we can do for our tribes, groups that can be based on many different things. We could choose each other based on a common interest, favorite something or a goal we all want to achieve. 

I personally don’t know what I would want to be grouped for. To be honest, I feel like I’m riding a Mary-go-round, always doing the same things everyday. I want to change that, but I’m not sure how. I don’t believe I’ve found my purpose yet. Maybe this project will help me find myself. 

One of the things said during this TED talk was, “Tell a story. Make a Connection. Lead a group. Make a change.” Eventually that small group can grow into a big community, full of other people who can relate to you all because you have one interest in common."

Seth Godin is one of those individuals who really inspire change, this talk and his book are no difference and Seth Godin is probably one of the best examples of a tribe leader.

Connecting with your own tribe is such a powerful and clear call to action. Nobody explains the power of new marketing and new business thinking better than Seth:

Each of you can benefit from watching this. Something to share with your colleagues and friends! Please pass this along to others!

Let's be thankful for the Internet and Ted where we can be inspired by great keynotes that in the past were only accessible to lucky few (or hard working President's Club winners) at expensive conferences. 

Speaking of inspiration, this morning is a morning to get fired up about and what we stand for. We have a new COO with Mr. Bomsi Billimoria, promotions abound like never before with Missy, Chelsea, Shalaine and our Chief of Staff and SVP, Corporate Strategy, Denise Ngeow is back today from maternity leave - a big welcome back to Denise.  

We are a tribe at FSO and we are remarkable, not average. Personal, Passionate and Productive, and we get the job done to perfection every moment and every day.


To a bright and successful day!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form. TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE.  


About FSO Onsite Outsourcing
Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing companies for the third consecutive year, and lead by industry pioneer, Mitch Weiner, FSO's growth and success can be attributed to making a positive and powerful impact on their clients' bottom lines, as well as their employees' careers and lives.