Seth Godin on Branding, Books, and Education (Episode 100 Part 2)
b'In 100 episodes we\\u2019ve had a lot of our expert guests define what branding is. Today we add a new definition to that list. Seth Godin joined me to celebrate, as he said, \\u201cshowing up 100 times.\\u201d I\\u2019m happy to do it and happy to bring you more great guests like Seth in the future. Enjoy this week\\u2019s 100th episode of the On Brand podcast featuring the one, the only Seth Godin!\\n\\xa0About Seth Godin\\nSeth Godin is the author of 18 books that have been bestsellers around the world and have been translated into more than 35 languages. He writes about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, quitting, leadership and most of all, changing everything. You might be familiar with his books Linchpin, Tribes, The Dip, and Purple Cow.\\nIn addition to his writing and speaking, Seth founded both Yoyodyne and Squidoo. His blog (which you can find by typing "seth" into Google) is one of the most popular in the world.\\xa0He was recently inducted into the Direct Marketing Hall of Fame, one of three chosen for this honor in 2013.\\nGodin once again set the book publishing industry on its ear by launching a series of four books via Kickstarter. The campaign reached its goal after three hours and ended up becoming the most successful book project ever done this way.\\xa0His book, What To Do When It\'s Your Turn, is already a bestseller. His new book is pretty big too.\\nEpisode Highlights\\nSeth\\u2019s new book, What Does It Sound Like to Change Your Mind, is literally BIG. \\u201cIt could kill a small mammal. It\\u2019s 17 pounds and over 800 pages long.\\u201d No kidding! Learn more at MoreSeth.com. Seth has continued to reinvent the publishing world as he did with What to Do When It\\u2019s Your Turn (fun fact: Seth designed the book\\u2019s innovative layout himself).\\nSo, what\\u2019s this big new book all about? \\u201cIt\\u2019s about what it sounds like when you change your mind. That\\u2019s what we do in marketing \\u2014 we change minds.\\u201d The new book follows the arc of his work, building on the foundation he first sketched out in Permission Marketing.\\xa0\\n\\u201cIf everything is marketing \\u2014 how you answer the phone, etc. \\u2014 then I get to write about everything.\\u201d Everything is marketing. Classic Godin. \\u201cIn Purple Cow I asked if you can\\u2019t buy attention what do you do instead?\\u201d You have to create remarkable experiences.\\nSo, what is the Seth Godin definition of branding? \\u201cFirst let\\u2019s all agree that a brand isn\\u2019t a logo. A brand is a shortcut \\u2014 a promise about what to expect if you engage. If you are known, you have a brand."\\nAnother industry Seth is turning on its head is higher ed\\xa0with his altMBA program. As both a marketer and a university\\xa0instructor, I\\u2019m fascinated by this. \\u201cI help people level up. It\\u2019s a 30-day workshop. In most online programs there\\u2019s a 96% drop out rate. Ours has a 98% completion rate. It\\u2019s experiential and project based. There are 13 assignments and no grades. Just feedback.\\u201d\\nOur education system is "training people to work in 1937."\\xa0As Seth notes, we need to do more than teach memorization and obedience. "We test people and hold them back if they\\u2019re a \\u2018bad batch\\u2019 because it\\u2019s based on industrialization. We need a different operator\\u2019s manual."\\nWhat brand has made Seth smile recently? "They are\\xa0un-extraordinary. In fact, they are extraordinary in how un-extraordinary they are. I buy all of my domains from Hover.com. When I call them, they answer the phone on the first ring. When a domain is about to expire they email me five days before they charge me money.\\u201d It\\u2019s the little things. Remember, everything is marketing.\\nTo learn more, go to\\xa0sethgodin.com or just type \\u201cSeth\\u201d into Google.\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'