All Marketers...
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Is J. D. Salinger a Liar? Are You?
Did Holden Caulfield really have the adventures and angst the author wrote about? Of course not. There wasn’t a Holden Caulfield. Catcher in the Rye is a work of fiction.
So what’s the difference between fiction and a lie? Is storytelling lying?
I think the distinction we make for ourselves is that novelists don’t pretend that they are telling us the truth. They don’t set out to deceive because they write novels, which are clearly labeled as untrue. No evil intent, no lie.
Judging from my email and some postings on blogs here and there, it seems that some people have a trouble with the word "liar". Liar is a word that makes us angry.
When I wrote All Marketers Are Liars (Liar’s Blog) I was trying to make a point about true lies.
Some (mostly those that haven’t bothered to read it) think I’m telling people to lie and cheat and deceive and abandon what few ethics we’ve got left. Nope! I’m doing the opposite.
I start by telling you that you ARE telling a story whether you want to or not. You are a novelist, a film director, a fabulist. It’s impossible to deliver the entire truth to anyone, ever, so by making choices, you’re telling a story. If your blog is well-designed, that’s part of your story. If your blog is ugly, that’s a story too. Neither story has to do with the words. But you’re still telling a story. We as marketers ought to recognize that and start acting that way–our competition sure is.
Then I say that telling a story that is inauthentic, inconsistent, hollow or filled with unstated side effects isn’t just wrong, it’s stupid. The best lies are true! True in the sense that you don’t disappoint the listener when she discovers more facts about what you do.
Any marketer who believes that they are in the business of telling the truth about what they do is delusional. You can’t. Not enough time, not enough attention, not enough money.
J.D. Salinger understood this when he wrote his novels. He didn’t try to tell the truth. He tried to tell a story that resonated.
Be a true liar. Someone who knows he’s in the storytelling business, someone who tells people about his ideas in terms they want to hear it. But be someone who’s stories hold up under inspection.
ChangeThis, reborn
I’m pleased to announce that as of today, ChangeThis has a new steward.
Todd and Jack and the rest of the team at 800 CEO READ have agreed to take it over. No money changed hands, no "promotional considerations." They’re doing it because they like it and because they believe that promoting cutting edge ideas can only help their business. The announcement is here. 800-CEO-READ Blog: 800-CEO-READ and ChangeThis.
I want to thank the great team of interns that built Changethis, especially Amit Gupta who has stuck with it over the last bunch of months. And I’m grateful to Jack and Todd. They work hard to do exactly what they say they’re going to do.
And thanks to all of you that have read our stuff (for free, I might add!) and helped it spread.
I’ll be at metacool today
Here’s the link: metacool.
“I just write this stuff down”
A new interview for you. One Degree – Five Questions For Seth Godin.
People like telling stories
Jake London points me to this new one from Chris… Link: The Long Tail: The dangers of "Headism".
All Marketers...
“One Lucky Store!”
What, do they think we’re idiots?
Oh, that’s right. We are.
From Convenience Store News, from Darren:
Same Store Sells Winning Lotto Ticket for Third Time
For the third time, the store at 8205 Gravois has sold a winning Lotto jackpot ticket, the Missouri Lottery said Monday. The most recent winning ticket sold for the April 9 Lotto drawing matched winning numbers 13, 14, 15, 17, 39 and 42, and is worth $1.3 million.
“This is one lucky location,” said Gary Gonder, spokesman for the Missouri Lottery.
Of course, in order to believe this lie, you’ve got to have a worldview that says that there’s some sort of skill or some sort of actual, real luck involved in winning the lottery. If you’ve got this worldview, then the story is perfect. Get in line, buddy.
Next thing you know, Gary Gonder will start telling us that people with certain Zodiac signs are likely to do better at video poker machines.
My Secret Project and the Bounty
I need your help.
I’m looking for three special people this summer to work on a secret project. No, I can’t tell you what it is. Yes, I can tell you about the internships: Seth’s Summer Intern Project.
Find me someone I successfully hire and you get $1,000 and the perverse satisfaction of knowing that you made a good match. Find me two and you get twice as much!
Blog it, post it, email it to the right people.
Thanks for your help!
This is real marketing
Curt Rosengren sent me a story about De Pree Jefferson. Link: Trevor’s Blog: De Pree.
De Pree works in a hospital. Doing little things, but things that matter.
Maybe hospitals should buy fewer billboards and hire more De Pree Jeffersons.
A blog I liked
Garrick Van Buren made me think. Link: The Work Better Weblog.