extremes
Hurray for the American Lesbians in Vermont. Soon they can get married.
The same week this news got announced, the new messiah Obama told the Danish prime minister to submit to a fairytale. And he also asked that we start negotiating with moderate Taliban.
This all feels very perverted. There is also something as principles and real freedom for all human beings. This girl only wished that she were to have any right at all……
freedom or peace, make up your mind
I have been analyzing and feeling what is the best scale on which to “box” people today. Boxing people, putting them in pigeon holes etc, was something that you had to learn from the Kotler marketing books. Then we entered the modern times, say late nineties, and all of a sudden it was hard to box people.
All of a sudden those who bought at Gucci, also bought at the low end shops. Nothing made sense anymore, all that we learned was in vain.
I am convinced though that there is always a way to “box” people. The only truth is that the old way of boxing does not work anymore. Those boxing categories were made during “broadcasting” times. Where it was easy to reach each and everyone with one message centrally. There was no real feedback coming from customers, they had no voice.
In this era, it is easier for customers to speak louder than any marketer of a big brand. They are not bound by rules and they are not being paid for what they say.
Anyway, during a lot of talks I have with people around me, I finally realized how we can define two clearly separated groups in modern Western society. I am convinced that by aiming communication on any of these two extremes, you will get to the heart of these groups. These groups cannot be seen as living in separate hoods or not being friends etc. But the difference is based on their beliefs.
The simple question: what do you prefer, peace or freedom? will give you remarkable insight.
There is a big group that is driven by keeping things the way they are and not bothering others. They would even stand up for another group, if others would bother that group. Whether that group deserved it or not, they are driven by restoring peace. Keeping things as they are. This group loves freedom and wants to live in a comfort zone. They do not want to hear noise that would make them feel discomfortable or would ruin their feeling of everything is fine. People all share common values and people are generally good. In fact the only bad people are those that are disturbing their peace. It is easy for them to speak out what they think and they bond openly. They are more group thinkers.
The other big group is driven by freedom. They believe that there is something to fight for and they discriminate more between people. This group is very active in commenting and showing their opinions. They think and feel that some of their basic values and life standards are under attack. They also do not see people as victims, but as potential warriors and heroes. For this group it is more difficult to be open about what they think and believe. They do look for companions, but not as openly as the peace lovers. They tend to be more individualist.
I think that brands can relate to both groups. But to get real share of mind and heart, I believe you will have to go for one of these groups. The connection with your target group will be much stronger then, as opposed to serving both these groups simultaneously.
MySpace is taken over by Facebook, Bebo and Twitter
The place for friends, that was the biggest social network for years, is now quickly dropping on the wrong side of its Internet Life Cycle.
It is very interesting to see that on the internet the lifecycles go much faster than in any other industry. I expect that this is a big opportunity for smart marketers and entrepreneurs. The market leader cannot only be challenged, it can also be beaten. You do that by trusting on a bigger, better product and using virality and time as your best friends.
Looking at the Dutch situation, it seems very possible that Facebook will takeover Hyves. It seems unrealistic right now to a lot of old thinkers. Though I think it is a reality that will come through within two years.
More about this news: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/mar/29/myspace-facebook-bebo-twitter
This I received today in my email. Everything about it is hilarious. Never knew that an economic downturn could be so much fun!
Buy one, get one free
simple but effective
We just launched our new IIZT site. Simple is the word.
internet is zero tolerance
Check it out here www.iizt.com
Happy Ox!
An old friend of mine came to visit me in Amsterdam right after Christmas. It was so good to see him. He’s living away from his family, they are in South America still. Sometimes we got to talk about them and what it is like to live far away from your loved ones.
This time he looked a bit sad. He told me that the last time he saw his family, last summer, his brother had this wound on his nose. He told him to go to the doctor’s. But his brother is a real macho guy, he makes tattoos for friends and people from the village. He did not want to talk about that.
When I asked my friend why he was kind of absent minded, he told me that he just learned that his brother had aids. It seemed they had not always used clean needles while tattooing one another. They make these traditional tattoos from their tribe and has been an ongoing ritual for generations. His mother was upset, as this strong, masculine son all of a sudden had this gay disease. Facts and stories, very hard for people to make a distinction.
One hour later, he received a call from his mother, but the connection was lousy. After a couple of attempts, his mother told him that his brother has passed away. It was very cold that day. And I could not make it any warmer. This end was not necessary.
