I believe in Godin

Recently a few co-workers and I went to see Seth Godin. Held at the Tempe Improv, it was an interesting venue for a marketing seminar. Maybe this is what all comedy clubs do at 9AM. Before Seth came out I had one of those thoughts you just kind of keep to yourself. I imagined Gallagher coming out on stage and smashing a watermelon with a sledgehammer, shocking the entire room of marketers. Like there was some kind of scheduling error.

So I chuckled to myself at this ridiculous scenario, then I started to really think about the legendary Gallagher. To refresh your memory, he was a comedian from the eighties who has made a career of smashing watermelons on stage. Yeah, that's supposed to be funny. And doing it for over 2 decades is the polar opposite of funny. They explode when struck with a sledgehammer, we get it. But somewhere along the line that was accepted as being hilarious, and took off. But hey, it took some chutzpah for him to try that gimmick, and it worked. I guess you can't bash the guy completely.

So anyway, Seth comes out and he's got one of those eccentric personalities that instantly grabs you. He didn't smash any large fruit on stage, but the guy delivered his marketing expertise in a very entertaining way.

Discussing subjects from his new book called "The Dip", he seemed to strike a nerve with everything he said. We all get that high off coming up with a good idea. Once we decide to execute it, you are in for 'the dip' before any success comes out of it. It’s going to get difficult, because anything worth doing is. If that 'dip' seems too hard, then we'll switch our focus to an easier idea. In essence, we give up.

‘The Dip’ is not just something for entrepreneurs to get through. In my experience in advertising and now in the interactive world, ideas I present have to get through the dips. The idea has to be worth the time and effort, and most importantly, the money. And if it’s a little out there, clients seldom go for it. The safe concepts usually get picked. There is comfort in mimicking others and being safe. Less dips.

When it comes to interactive executions, the public craves the different idea. They want something new. I will admit, it does depend on the client, the product and the situation. But if you are trying to build brand awareness, the safe approach might be the biggest waste of time and money. Personally, I think the safe ideas are what we should fear in interactive marketing.

What if Gallagher played it safe?