Seth Godin on standing out

Seth Godin’s  first talk from 2003

There are two inherent challenges in giving a TED talk about being remarkable.  First, aren’t all TED talks supposed to be remarkable? Secondly, TED talks are taped and available for all to see, so they should withstand the test of time.  I was not sure that Seth Godin’s talk from 2003 fulfilled either criterion, so I watched it twice.

I do like his definition of ‘remarkable’ as something that people remark about. And yes, the internet is all about ‘otaku’ (if you don’t know, see the presentation or learn Japanese).  But the TV industrial complex is still going strong, seven years later, and no, Procter and Gamble have not learned that you need to be special, and hey, they are still advertising and selling an ocean of products (I wish they were selling mine!!).

Finally, I have a problem with the speakers who tell us that their talk could be about anything, but they just happen to be using business as an example.  Seth and Cameron, please share with us (if only for a minute or two) how your understanding of the business and advertising world impacts on the worlds that really count – philosophy, art, science, and medicine, to name a few.  Business is all about making money now, often at any cost. TED is not business or advertising school, and it should touch our hearts and minds, not our pockets.