The Viral Mockingbird
No, This is not an article about the Avian Flu. (However, you should learn all that you can about the Avian Flu.)
This article is a direct response to an Article posted yesterday (January 31) on Jackie Huba and Ben McConnell's BNET blog.
The Tech world is full of many examples which prove that building a vastly superior mousetrap does not equate with market acquisition. It is difficult to get the average consumer to be interested in the superiority of one CPU chip's algorithmic processing or the superiority of one memory storage medium (example: Betamax) over another (example: VHS). Many CEOs and CFOs are more concerned about installation expenses than they are about long term efficiency. (Example: IBM's punch card processing computers of the 1960s versus Univac.)
What makes a product viral is its ability to provoke the passions of the users. All efforts to educate Americans to be more fuel efficient in their car purchases were going nowhere until the gasoline crisis of the late 1970s. And Americans were again purchasing vehicles which were less fuel efficient until Hurricanes Katrina and Rita showed us just how vulnerable we still are. These events provoked passions, which in turn changed the buying habits of the public.
What makes "To Kill a Mockingbird" viral is that it is both evocative and provocative. People recommend it to others because it stirs up their passions. It succeeds on two vital areas. First, it succeeds in its subject and second, it succeeds in its presentation of its subject (that is to say that Harper Lee is a good word-crafter.)
This is also the reason why Oprah's Book Club is so successful. Oprah Winfrey does not recommend any mediocre author who is willing to pay a product placement fee. You can not BUY an Oprah Winfrey recommendation. Any author who desires an Oprah recommendation must focus on two vital things. One, will your subject (substance) provoke her passion? Two, will your writing ability (presentation) evoke your vision within her while she is reading?
If you are selling a product or service - you need to focus on these two areas also. Will the substance of what you are selling excite the passions of your market and will your presentation of your product or service evoke (resonate) a shared vision in their minds.
If you are a blogger, take a lesson from Oprah. Don't accept product placement fees for mediocre services and products. Recommend those books, products and services which excite you on a personal and a "gut" level and your click through rate will increase and the virality of your blog will also be more successful.
This article is a direct response to an Article posted yesterday (January 31) on Jackie Huba and Ben McConnell's BNET blog.
Rules? What rules? by BNET's -- Are there rules to marketing? We have our six tenets. Countless books and textbooks describing immutable laws, rules and principles arrive each year from authoritative and [...]
The Tech world is full of many examples which prove that building a vastly superior mousetrap does not equate with market acquisition. It is difficult to get the average consumer to be interested in the superiority of one CPU chip's algorithmic processing or the superiority of one memory storage medium (example: Betamax) over another (example: VHS). Many CEOs and CFOs are more concerned about installation expenses than they are about long term efficiency. (Example: IBM's punch card processing computers of the 1960s versus Univac.)
What makes a product viral is its ability to provoke the passions of the users. All efforts to educate Americans to be more fuel efficient in their car purchases were going nowhere until the gasoline crisis of the late 1970s. And Americans were again purchasing vehicles which were less fuel efficient until Hurricanes Katrina and Rita showed us just how vulnerable we still are. These events provoked passions, which in turn changed the buying habits of the public.
What makes "To Kill a Mockingbird" viral is that it is both evocative and provocative. People recommend it to others because it stirs up their passions. It succeeds on two vital areas. First, it succeeds in its subject and second, it succeeds in its presentation of its subject (that is to say that Harper Lee is a good word-crafter.)
This is also the reason why Oprah's Book Club is so successful. Oprah Winfrey does not recommend any mediocre author who is willing to pay a product placement fee. You can not BUY an Oprah Winfrey recommendation. Any author who desires an Oprah recommendation must focus on two vital things. One, will your subject (substance) provoke her passion? Two, will your writing ability (presentation) evoke your vision within her while she is reading?
If you are selling a product or service - you need to focus on these two areas also. Will the substance of what you are selling excite the passions of your market and will your presentation of your product or service evoke (resonate) a shared vision in their minds.
If you are a blogger, take a lesson from Oprah. Don't accept product placement fees for mediocre services and products. Recommend those books, products and services which excite you on a personal and a "gut" level and your click through rate will increase and the virality of your blog will also be more successful.
posted by Shewmaker at 11:13 AM
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