Your Marketing is Your Product

Every day, marketing expert Seth Godin posts amazing insights on his blog. Short, pithy essays that make you think, "so that's how it works." And then you realize you almost knew that, but just hadn't put it all together yet.

If you're not reading Seth's Blog a few times a week, get over there now:

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/

On March 19, he posted a few thoughts about how marketing has changed since the 1960s heyday of "Men Men." In doing so, he summed up the challenge we all face in these Post-Mad times:

"In the Mad Men era, we added marketing last. Marketing and advertising were the same thing, and the job was to promote what was made.

"In the connection era, the marketing is the product, the service and most of all the conversations it causes and the connections it makes.

"Marketing is the first thing we do, not the last. Build virality and connection and remarkability into your product or service from the start and then the end gets a lot easier. Build it into your app, your book, your movie, your insurance policy, and the red soles of your shoes."

You can read Seth's original post here.