UNLEASHING THE IDEA VIRUS SETH GODIN

Age of Ideas Farms, Factories & Idea Merchants The holy grail for anyone trafficking ideas is this: To unleash an ideavirus. Idea virus – Idea that moves, grows & infects idea manifesto create value by changing the way people think, talk or act…

Farms, Factories & Idea Merchants

The holy grail for anyone trafficking ideas is this: To unleash an ideavirus.

Idea virus – Idea that moves, grows & infects

idea manifesto

create value by changing the way people think, talk or act…

Age of Ideas Marketing Barriers Hotmail Story Problems with WoM Ideas run amuck

Marketing Barriers

Hotmail Story

Problems with WoM

Ideas run amuck

Idea Velocity

Age of Ideas Netscape,VW Beetle Currency of the future Interruption Marketing Slaves

Netscape,VW Beetle

Currency of the future

Interruption Marketing Slaves

Why an Ideavirus is so important? Zipf’s Law People are more connected than ever The Traffic Imperative We used to make food & stuff. But we make Ideas now We’ve got more nerds than ever Huge profits from creating and owning such virus Tremendous hunger for something new End of Zero sum game

Zipf’s Law

People are more connected than ever

The Traffic Imperative

We used to make food & stuff. But we make Ideas now

We’ve got more nerds than ever

Huge profits from creating and owning such virus

Tremendous hunger for something new

End of Zero sum game

Five Things Idea viruses Have In Common The most successful ideaviruses sometimes appear to be accidents An ideavirus adores a vacuum Once an ideavirus spreads, it follows a lifecycle Ideaviruses are more than just essays and books, and are winning because of intelligent seeding by their creators. Viral marketing is a special case of an ideavirus

The most successful ideaviruses sometimes appear to be accidents

An ideavirus adores a vacuum

Once an ideavirus spreads, it follows a lifecycle

Ideaviruses are more than just essays and books, and are winning because of intelligent seeding by their creators.

Viral marketing is a special case of an ideavirus

SNEEZERS Promiscuous sneezers Mercata, All advantage and Amazon Powerful sneezers The Times

Promiscuous sneezers

Mercata, All advantage and Amazon

Powerful sneezers

The Times

The art of the promiscuous Make big promises Show them how to make it up in volume Describe an attainable path When someone succeeds, tell the rest of them Give the successful ones a way to show the non-sneezers it worked Have a Mary Kay convention

Make big promises

Show them how to make it up in volume

Describe an attainable path

When someone succeeds, tell the rest of them

Give the successful ones a way to show the non-sneezers it worked

Have a Mary Kay convention

Don’ts – Promiscuous sneezers Changing the rules in the middle Viewing the relationship as an expense

Changing the rules in the middle

Viewing the relationship as an expense

Idea virus and the vacuum Hard to keep two conflicting ideaviruses at the same time Vacuum doesn’t last for long Aeron chairs Ignore the life cycle and feed it Tom Peters Viral marketing and idea virus

Hard to keep two conflicting ideaviruses at the same time

Vacuum doesn’t last for long

Aeron chairs

Ignore the life cycle and feed it

Tom Peters

Viral marketing and idea virus

Three key levers How big do you launch? How smooth is it? How can you turn trial into persistence?

How big do you launch?

How smooth is it?

How can you turn trial into persistence?

Five ways to unleash an idea virus Go full viral Hot mail Blue mountain arts Ofoto Pay off the promiscuous Referrals.com Make it smooth for the powerful Inside.com

Go full viral

Hot mail

Blue mountain arts

Ofoto

Pay off the promiscuous

Referrals.com

Make it smooth for the powerful

Inside.com

Five ways to unleash an idea virus (contd) Digitally augment word of mouth extremely persistent much greater velocity May have more credibility Altruism Les Nomades

Digitally augment word of mouth

extremely persistent

much greater velocity

May have more credibility

Altruism

Les Nomades

Multiply these five factors [reputation benefit to powerful sneezer of recommending virus] [selfish benefit to promiscuous sneezer of recommending virus] [smoothness of sharing the virus with a friend] [power of the amplifier used to spread positive word of mouth] [frequency of interactions among hive members]

[reputation benefit to powerful sneezer of recommending virus]

[selfish benefit to promiscuous sneezer of recommending virus]

[smoothness of sharing the virus with a friend]

[power of the amplifier used to spread positive word of mouth]

[frequency of interactions among hive members]

Divided by the sum of these two factors: [number of times you need to expose someone in this hive in order for the virus to catch] [number of different sneezers who have to recommend a virus to a given individual for it to ignite]

[number of times you need to expose someone in this hive in order for the virus to catch]

[number of different sneezers who have to recommend a virus to a given individual for it to ignite]

And then multiply that by the product of these four factors: [percentage of infected hive members likely to sneeze] [number of people the infected sneezer is likely to contact] [persistence of the virus (how long does a sneezer sneeze?)] [number of people infected /(divided by) number of people in the hive]

[percentage of infected hive members likely to sneeze]

[number of people the infected sneezer is likely to contact]

[persistence of the virus (how long does a sneezer sneeze?)]

[number of people infected /(divided by) number of people in the hive]

The Eight Variables 1. Sneezers 2. Hive 3. Velocity 4. Vector 5. Medium 6. Smoothness 7. Persistence 8. Amplifier

1. Sneezers

2. Hive

3. Velocity

4. Vector

5. Medium

6. Smoothness

7. Persistence

8. Amplifier

Sneezers Powerful Promiscuous Hive choose your hive first, then build the idea. attack small but intimate hives. Velocity Digitally augmented word of mouth.

Sneezers

Powerful

Promiscuous

Hive

choose your hive first, then build the idea.

attack small but intimate hives.

Velocity

Digitally augmented word of mouth.

Vector Who it starts with. Who it resonates with What’s easy . Medium PayPal.com Smoothness Apple i-phone

Vector

Who it starts with.

Who it resonates with

What’s easy .

Medium

PayPal.com

Smoothness

Apple i-phone

Persistence new technology that won’t be around tomorrow Amplifier allows the positive word of mouth to be amplified the negative to be damped Planetfeedback.com

Persistence

new technology that won’t be around tomorrow

Amplifier

allows the positive word of mouth to be amplified

the negative to be damped

Planetfeedback.com

Case Studies & Riffs The Vindigo Case Study

The Vindigo Case Study

Saving The World With An Ideavirus Toyota Prius….. Failed Name Smoothness The Car itself

Toyota Prius…..

Failed

Name

Smoothness

The Car itself

Steps to turn manifesto into an Ideavirus: Important and cool and neat and useful and new, compelling, clear and exciting words. Launch to largest audience of sneezers Run ads Maintain the virus- distributing freebies.

Important and cool and neat and useful and new, compelling, clear and exciting words.

Launch to largest audience of sneezers

Run ads

Maintain the virus- distributing freebies.

Moving Private To Public American Airlines - frequent flyer miles. Hakuhodo - New Year’s cards.

American Airlines - frequent flyer miles.

Hakuhodo - New Year’s cards.

The Money Paradox The sooner you ask for money, the less you’ll make. Steps for success Fill the vacuum Achieve lock-in Extract revenue Ex : E-Fax, Watts Wacker - The 500 Year Delta

The sooner you ask for money, the less you’ll make.

Steps for success

Fill the vacuum

Achieve lock-in

Extract revenue

Ex : E-Fax, Watts Wacker - The 500 Year Delta

Is That Your Final Answer? What should the sneezer say? “ Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” Web The first touch.

What should the sneezer say?

“ Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”

Web

The first touch.

Bestseller Lists. George Lucas In Love. Judging a book by its cover Turn of the Century Yahoo (Lycos, AltaVista, InfoSeek and Architext). Risky???????

Bestseller Lists.

George Lucas In Love.

Judging a book by its cover

Turn of the Century

Yahoo (Lycos, AltaVista, InfoSeek and Architext).

Risky???????

No, You Go First! Make it clear to that consumer that your idea has arrived. Try it, Like it ,Buy it…

Make it clear to that consumer that your idea has arrived.

Try it, Like it ,Buy it…

Crossing the Chasm Pre-chasm people want something cool. Post-chasm people want something that works.

Pre-chasm people want something cool. Post-chasm people want something that works.

The Myth Of The Tipping Point Somehow a magic moment appears when the entire population goes from blissful unawareness of your offering to total and complete infatuation. Example:

Somehow a magic moment appears when the entire population goes from blissful unawareness of your offering to total and complete infatuation.

Example:

The Compounding Effect Increasing returns from an ideavirus Creating the self-fulfilling prophecy that leads to success Example: Publishing houses

Increasing returns from an ideavirus

Creating the self-fulfilling prophecy that leads to success

Example: Publishing houses

Permission: The Missing Ingredient Built amplification but forgot to get permission to follow up The challenge of the idea merchant is to turn the virus into an asset. And you turn the virus into an asset when you ask the user for permission to follow up directly!

Built amplification but forgot to get permission to follow up

The challenge of the idea merchant is to turn the virus into an asset. And you turn the virus into an asset when you ask the user for permission to follow up directly!

Virus And Permission: Team Up Invent a virus worthy idea. Make it smooth and persistent. Incent powerful sneezers. Get their permission to follow up

Invent a virus worthy idea.

Make it smooth and persistent.

Incent powerful sneezers.

Get their permission to follow up

Galliano hires Dorf Harvey Wallbanger Every single win on the consumer side of the Internet: ideavirus.

Galliano hires Dorf

Harvey Wallbanger

Every single win on the consumer side of the Internet: ideavirus.

Step By Step, Ideavirus Tactics Make it virus worthy Identify the hive Expose the idea Figure out what you want the sneezers to say Give the sneezers the tools they need to spread the virus Once the consumer has volunteered his attention, get permission Amaze your audience so that they will reinforce the virus and keep it growing Admit that few viruses last forever. Embrace the lifecycle of the virus

Make it virus worthy

Identify the hive

Expose the idea

Figure out what you want the sneezers to say

Give the sneezers the tools they need to spread the virus

Once the consumer has volunteered his attention, get permission

Amaze your audience so that they will reinforce the virus and keep it growing

Admit that few viruses last forever. Embrace the lifecycle of the virus