Thanks to IAB Brasil I  found a video of Seth Godin key note presentation on MIXX 2010 Conference held last week in New York. The sound quility is not the best but for the fans of the modern marketing guru this video is something very precious and new.

Godin talks about the importance on focusing on “what’s now” in marketing and advertising, not “what’s next.” Over  the past 50 to 60 years, marketers have learned that the more frequently they hit customers with a message about a product or service, the more they are inclined to purchase. But in doing so, they have cannibalized their own efforts. The challenge now is in finding ways to reach people who have been trained to ignore ads. Godin noted, “there is too much clutter … because we’ve branded ourselves to death.”

Godin’s idea is about building brand ambassadors and communities of people that align themselves with your offering, not about offering the best price or the next big thing. It is about becoming a leader of an existing tribe or creating a movement and community in support of your offering. Some examples:

• The Beatles: Teenagers already were a tribe, but needed leadership. The band capitalized on the opportunity to build loyalty with a pre-existing group seeking a champion for their message.

•  Nike: People always had running shoes, but Nike created a tribe of runners who are proud to wear a swoosh because of what “Nike” represents to athletes driven to achieve glory.

•  Zappos: The now-Amazon owned e-tailer doesn’t just sell shoes — it sells an experience that customers appreciate and want to share. It’s not about the shoes, it’s about the principle of service.”

Godin continued, “Ideas that spread, win.” Using his iPhone as illustration, “No one bought this phone because it’s a good phone. Everyone got it because it’s a badge that you’re on this team, not that team. Marketing management is now tribal leadership. It needs to be renamed, re-measured.”

The job of CMO today, should stand for “chief movement officer” and not chief marketing officer. In short: don’t market — inspire, lead, tap into your brand’s passions and you’ll tap into consumers’ passions and build a small and committed following that will scale through word-of-mouth, Seth Godin said.

Update 2016! Video is not available any longer. So I choose another video – The complete INBOUND 2015 Seth Godin keynote.