Seth Godin "How Good Ideas are Spread"

In 2003, Seth Godin’s gave a Ted Talk in Montreal, Canada, entitled, “How to Spread Good Ideas.” Godin’s purpose was to communicate the idea that to sell a product you dont just need to advertise the product, but make it in a way that the audience will remeber, a memorable advertisement, to an audience comprised of mainly of innovators and people who easily adapt. 

“We are living in a century of ideas diffusion.”

Some techniques that Godin used to make his talk memorable included the use of repetition, mainly in the word remarkable, which allowed the audience to remember the word, and even remember the idea. Also, he implemented metaphors which created the emotion of the advertisement being completely directed to the audience. 

Godin states that the way in which marketing works has changed forever. It used to be that companies would spend $100m “interrupting me.” The reason for this he states is: “Consumers don’t care about you at all. They have too many choices and too little time.” So what you have to do as a company is remarkable.

Seth Godin’s use of an anecdote with the joke about sliced bread, and the introduction of a purple cow on his Powerpoint screen, formed a strong bond with the audience.

Godin’s delivery included a range of pitches,both high and low and also in the speed in which he spoke. This made his Ted Talk engaging to the audience.

Body language was a key part of making this Ted Talk a success. He uses several hand movements, walks around the stage and directs to the audience by pointing at them.

He closes his speech emphatically by talking about the "construction of a lava lamo" in the middle of the town. This lava lamp would be remarkable and personally he would like to return there.