Sorry to burst your bubble, but your idea you thought was so brilliant? It’s probably not going to sell itself. Doesn’t matter that it’s the greatest invention since sliced bread, or that you poured ridiculous amounts of money into market research and gigantic billboards that hover over the interstate. People tune out traditional advertisements, and by extension, people tune out your idea.
I know what you’re thinking, people have made big bucks off new inventions without half the marketing muscle you’re planning to put in, so what gives? There must be a big-budget ad machine at work behind the curtains to generate that much interest. Truth is, it’s not enough that the idea is particularly groundbreaking in itself, but that it stands out enough to make people stop and take notice. Before Steve Jobs, the computer industry didn’t think people would spend money to have their own personal computers, so computers remained a hobbyist pursuit, unaccessible to the rest of us. Then Jobs introduced the Apple I, the first personal computer that worked right out of the box, no assembly required. The hobbyists loved it, and word spread about this new personal computer, paving the way for the success of the Apple II.
Too many choices, too little time…
“People who can spread ideas, regardless of what their ideas are…. win,” said Seth Godin. He goes on to discuss how people are afforded too many choices and too little time, and therein lies the problem — marketing your idea to an impatient and jaded public. Most product ideas play it safe, and this way of thinking permeates pop culture, from newspaper designs to pot boiler movies. With their rigid design, is it any wonder print newspapers are on the fast track to the media graveyard? This is the reason filmmakers post-convert films to 3D, because 3D sticks out on the marquee among a list of “standard” movies. Doesn’t matter that 3D makes the color about as vibrant as a prison cell, or that the glasses give you migraines. What matters is that it’s not “like” other movies. IMAX movies, no matter how improved the picture is, don’t stand out enough to make consumers want to see them or want to invest in an IMAX screen for their theater. Christopher Nolan, however, managed to generate interest in IMAX screenings of The Dark Knight Rises by talking to the people who care about movie formats, and releasing the first six minutes of TDKR in 70mm IMAX theaters exclusively. That movie went on to be the second highest grossing film of 2012, without the help of 3D, and numbers don’t lie.
…who cares? Exactly.
If you want to know how to market an idea, you need to worry less about trends in the market and start focusing on how to get people talking. This doesn’t mean completely reinventing the wheel, but taking the wheel and making it remarkable to the people who give a damn about wheels. Because those people have genuine interest, enough to create shockwaves through society and social media to get other people interested. People don’t care about products, they care about what other people care about.
To start tuning into the audience who cares, visit Bridged Design’s Design page.
References: How To Spread Your Ideas Successfully – Seth Godin
Source: Bridged Design