In previous blogs, I have discussed the various technical ways to increase the number of views a video will receive on sites like YouTube. In this blog, I wish to discuss the content and style of the video and less on the various ways to promote it. After reviewing some videos on TED.com, I stumbled across a presentation by one of my heroes, Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell is the author of The Tipping Point, Blink!, Outliers, and, his most recent book, What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures. In his presentation, entitled “Malcolm Gladwell on spaghetti sauce,” Gladwell tells the story of psychophysicist Howard Moskowitz. I will try to avoid summarizing the video because it is free to view by clicking the link below; however, I do want to discuss the way that Gladwell uses an interesting story to develop his main point—that humans by nature desire choices. As Gladwell said, quoting Moskowitz, “there is no perfect pickle; there are only perfect pickles” (2004). There is no perfect pickle—there are perfect dill pickles, perfect sweet pickles, perfect bread and butter pickles, etc.
You might be asking yourself: “well, what does this obsession with Malcolm Gladwell have to do with strategic marketing?” Psychology and the understanding of human desire have much to do with marketing. For example, a baker would benefit from the understanding that customers will be happier if given a variety of baked goods to choose from.
If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading any of Gladwell’s books, I will point out that virtually all of his stories use real examples to illustrate bigger ideas. In his TED presentation, he begins by stating he is supposed to be plugging his new book; however, he would rather tell a story about what makes people happy. In the end, he not only has taught an important lesson in marketing, but he has also shown the audience what they can expect from his book—self-promotion!
In ending, when creating a media presentation for marketing purposes be sure to have a unique style that entertains your audience, while also promoting your company, brand, or self.
Source:
Gladwell, M (2004). Malcolm Gladwell on spaghetti sauce [Video]. Retrieved on
January 5, 2011, from http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ malcolm_gladwell_on_spaghetti_sauce.html
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