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Fonk for Thoughts: Seth Godin
Guy Kawasaki's recommendation for Fonk for Thoughts: Seth Godin, one of the world's foremost online promoters. Godin created Internet marketer Yoyodyne and sold it in 1998 to Yahoo!.
 Seth Godin a best-selling author, entrepreneur, and change agent: "Every day I try to do something worth doing." Since then, Godin has written more than seven books that have been bestsellers around the world. Permission Marketing, Purple Cow and his latest, Free Prize Inside are his best known. BlogFonk: Who is Seth Godin? And where are you from? Godin: I'm a writer and speaker, currently living outside of New York. BlogFonk: Do you love your work? Why (not)? Godin: It's not work for me -- the ability to riff on ideas and then watch them work (or not) is a thrill, and I love every minute of it. The airplanes, however, I could do without.  BlogFonk: What is your book "Unleashing the Ideavirus" all about? Godin: Ideas that spread, win. This is counter-intuitive to some (especially those in the record business) but it's true. I took my own advice and posted this as a free ebook and it's been downloaded and passed along more than 2,000,000 times. Do a Google search on ideavirus and you'll see. BlogFonk: Is there difference in mentality of creative professionals in the countries you've worked? Godin: We're all a little bit mental! I think the real issue is the limits we place on ourselves. In Europe, especially, I've encountered people who are sure that the client/the government/the audience won't let them do something. It's almost as bad in the US. BlogFonk: What are the latest important developments you've noticed in advertising? Godin: It doesn't work so well, it's getting more gimmicky than ever and most practitioners aren't particularly optimistic about the future of mass media interruption as a way to build a business. BlogFonk: Which work for a client are you most proud of? Godin: I don't have any clients. But when I get an email from someone who tells me how one of my ideas changed her business, or even better, her life, I'm thrilled. BlogFonk: If you'd be given the chance to do something over again, what would that be? Godin: I wouldn't have gone skiing on January 2, 1976, when I wrecked both my shoulders. But there's not just one. I also would have made sure that the email campaign we did for AOL and American Express in 1997 wouldn't have been accidentally swapped with one for Arrid Xtra Dry deodorant. Did I mention the one about wearing a white suit to school? BlogFonk: Finally, what is your motto, your "Fonk for Thoughts" (inspiration to be creative)? Godin: Every day I try to do something worth doing, to create and spread an idea worth talking about. Doing what I did yesterday just a little better is a losing strategy. |
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posted by BlogFonk: Wednesday, December 15, 2004 [#]