Customer Reviews

All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Godin writes: "This is a whole new way of doing business."

Well, if it is such Seth, then surely You aren't the first marketer to spot this. Therefore, Seth Godin shouldn't take credit for revealing some of the powers of storytelling in marketing.

Other authors were there long before him (e.g. Laurence Vincent, John Simmons, Steve Denning, Christopher Locke, Dave Snowden), who managed to go deeper and further. Mind you though that their individual approaches are very different.

Much of what Godin calls storytelling are simply elements of marketing strategy (already well know to marketers) presented here in a new wrapping called "storytelling". But just because you say so, that doesn't make it so!

Where he writes "You can't out-Amazon Amazon" and "Make your story stand out from the competition", he is simply describing the importance of positioning, and similarly it isn't 'Rocket Science' when he says "Cheap is not marketing". Rather it is leaning up against men like Michael Porter who have been discussing the inherent dangers of price competition for decades.

He does however practice what he preaches. He tells a story that his customers want to believe. It is a pleasant though that success can be achieved simply by telling cute little stories. It is however not as simple as this, which is why I suggest you explore other authors too (See above).

A point I fully agree on is that: "You must aggressively go to the edges and tell a story that only you could tell." However, I don't feel that Godin has followed his own gospel in this case. The story he tells in "All Marketers are Liars" has to a wide extent already been told by a number of other skilful authors.

He still gets 3 stars from me, because I welcome any additions to the body of knowledge available about storytelling in marketing. I believe it is a powerful tool, and it deserves wider recognition.

I find Seth Godin's books incredibly lightweight. There is really nothing of any substance here. The usual series of marketing anecdotes, normally about quite niche products. I think the whole thing can be summed up in the old advertising cliche: sell the sizzle, not the steak. He's just given it a new word - essentially he's dressing up well-worn concepts in new clothes. The book is poorly organised and repetitive, and I think he succeeds simply because his books are so lightweight - they're easily digestible on a bus ride or plane trip, don't rely on any support for his theories so they're not easily challenged, and essentially say very little. The marketing equivalent of the airport novel.

In this book, Seth Godin discusses the practice of telling compelling, attention grabbing stories about a product and gives examples of products that use this approach and shows that this practice is a compelling ways to market a product. The story that is told is the "lie" that he references in his title most.

Telling stories about a product is a fairly common and accepted practice in most marketing department nowadays. If the idea that telling stories is new to you, than you might find this book an interesting read because throughout the book Godin gives examples of well known brands and their stories.

If you are a marketing professional, you will probably find that this book is a bit fluffy and had little new information in it. For a better book on telling stories, I would recommend The Secrets of Word of Mouth Marketing by George Silverman

If the book were titled, All Marketers Are Storytellers, would you consider looking at it? Godin brought up this point in the book and it clearly explained what he means by "liars." Of course, he didn't insult marketers as he belongs in that category. But "storytellers" would be nothing new.

Though he didn't use "storytellers," the book addresses how to use stories to help the business succeed. The book grabbed me at the start, but then it got slow in different parts. What I appreciated most were the examples of storytelling or "fibbing." Godin did point out that fibbing doesn't mean the same thing as fraud. He provided two examples. Can you tell which Godin identifies as a fib and which is fraud?

*A wine glass maker claims wine tastes better in his glasses.

*A company says you can call anytime to hear the president of the company's voice and the voice introduces himself as such. It turns out the voice is an actor as the president died over 50 years ago.

The second would be the fraud. It's a story that turns out not to be true and customers feel tricked when they find out. No one can prove the glasses don't make the wine taste better; therefore it's good storytelling because it leads people to believe the claim might be true and the product is worth trying.

John Stossel of ABC News did a report on bottled water and discovered people are convinced that tap water is bad while bottled water is cleaner, safer, and tastier. The news report conducted a taste test of four brands and tap water. Tap came in third while the most expensive, Evian, came in last. And in first place? The cheapest bottled water, K-mart's brand.

Telling a story doesn't guarantee everyone will be fooled into believing what you hope they'll believe, but the bottled water example proves many bought into that story.

Godin goes deeper because telling any ol' story doesn't equal great results. Other factors come into play even before your product or service comes to life. Have you noticed cereals have new labels such as "100% whole grain" or "15% less sugar than the original"? What do you think drove the cereal manufacturers to change the labeling in some cases and to create a new formula in others? The low-carb craze. It was their way of staying in the game when much of the world changed its view on what foods to eat and what to avoid.

Godin quotes Malcolm Gladwell whose best seller, The Tipping Point, no doubt led the way for his second book, Blink, and even recommends the latter work. Everyone I've talked to who has read both books has little good to say about Blink and some didn't think much of The Tipping Point. This praise is the only quarrel I have with this fine and thought-provoking book, but it makes me leery of the rest of the book recommendations (only 13 in all) because of this point. Technically his praise of the book could be called "fibbing."

The book provides examples of how small businesses, large businesses, and service-oriented businesses succeed with the storytelling approach. Any business can learn from the book's concept. It took little time to read and gave a good overview about how businesses create and sell their stories.

For some unknown reason my copy of Liars had been gathering dust on the shelf for quite some time and I decided to read it on a train ride to Stockholm yesterday. The book is about how (and why) to use stories to further your company's/organization's/your own objectives. The main thesis' of the books are:

1. Competitive advantages are becoming too complex too formulate in a one sentence positioning statement and people need stories to make sense of what a company is all about.

2. Stories are what makes people (irrationally) believe that some products are superior to other products. This is why people sincerely believe that a 80 000 dollar Porsche Cayenne is superior to the 36 000 dollar Volkswagen Touareg, despite the fact that they are basically the same part. We buy stories, not products.

3. Stories are what we tell other people and stories are thus what a savvy WOM enlighted marketer should aim for to maximize marketing (mainly WOM) efficiency.

4. To be effective, stories must fit the existing worldview of the target group. If it doesn't, don't try to change their worldview (because people can't be changed), change target group.

5. To break through the info clutter, one must "frame" the story in a way that makes sense to people.

The first point I buy completely. It is obviously very inspired by Malcolm Gladwell's Blink, but still worth pointing out in a marketing context (to be fair, Godin does give Gladwell some credit). The second point is nothing new at all. The use of stories is just basic branding, slightly adjusted. Regarding stories increasing the efficiency of WOM I think it's absolutely true. However, it's not like it hasn't been said before, only using different terminology (even Godin himself in "Ideavirus"). Number four and five are quite obvious if you've read some consumer behaviour, however I don't agree. The thing that I remember best from Blink was the case study of Herman Millers Aeron chair. It took a couple of years for it to become the best selling office chair of all time. It didn't do this by meeting people's existing worldview on what an office chair was all about. People hated it at first sight. But Herman Miller believed in Aeron and when people got used to the ground breaking design, it redefined how an office chair should be evaluated. The main point about Blink (for me) wasn't that people make snap judgements and use intution. That's hardly news to anyone. The most interesting part is that you can actually change what people believe. And that's good news, now isn't it?

I understand why Godin writes what he does; a lot of neomarketing lit. is critized for not being practical enough. People want books like "Ten things that guarantee you instant success within (enter industry here)". And it is a realistic goal for most companies to get their story straight, find a group that might believe it and tell it ("frame" it) in a way that they'll understand. But to be honest, it's just a slight improvement over the classic approach: build a decent product, select a target market with a high likelyhood of adoption and communicate in terms that they'll understand. Boring. And actually kind of ironic (or a big conspiracy maybe?) since what he does is finding a new frame (WOM is all the rage now and books about that will break though the clutter) to an existing worldview and communicating the idea to a partially new target. I like the fact that he points out how product development WOM and sales are all interrelated but to give him credit for this is kind of like saying that Newton for "invented" gravity.

From a marketing stand point that Godin wants to buy books it's all very clever, indeed (and hardly a coincidence no?). But I don't like it. I think that the winners of tomorrow are those standing out by making a really, really, really awesome product. The crazy ones. The misfits. The round pegs in the square holes. Those who see a work of art when other people see a blank canvas. Think different. Go for broke. Revolutionize. Re-define. Re-imagine. Remarkabalize. Think it. Test it. Try it. Do it. Impossible is nothing.

I've always enjoyed Seth Godin's books and have read each of them starting with Permission Marketing (1999) as they've come out. I particularly liked his e-book Really Bad Powerpoint (and how to avoid it) (2001) although I haven't been able to find the (free) download lately.

It was indeed a pleasure to get my Amazon delivery of his latest - "All Marketers Are Liars: The power of telling authentic stories in a low-trust world" - the day before a Boston to LA flight. Perfect. Seth has a terrific way of telling his stories in book form as a quick and fun read. I started the book at Logan Airport and finished somewhere over Kansas.

This book is a must read for any marketer who wants to break through the noise of one-way, TV-influenced interruption marketing. Stories are authentic. Interruption is not. I particularly liked the section "Telling Stories in an Internet World." Seth explains why good Web marketing through storytelling beats advertising every time.

The examples are fun, breezy and easy to grasp in several hours of airplane time. And hey, Seth says the stories can even fib a bit as long as they are authentic, reach the intended audience and not a fraud. Because marketers aren't liars, they are just storytellers. We tell stories that consumers want to hear. Want an example? It sounded great for me to say I read All Marketers Are Liars starting at Logan and finishing over Kansas didn't it? Because Kansas in the middle of the US and anyone can gague the speed at which you can finish the book. Guess what? I lied. I actually read the Boston Globe in Logan then took a nap at the beginning of the flight. The plane didn't even fly over Kansas (I asked the pilot). But I did finish "All Marketers Are Liars" on the plane and it is a great book. Read it and learn how to be a better marketer.

Obviously, the purpose of this title is to attract attention. And it does. When you begin to read this book, ignore the title (at least for a while) and focus on Godin's narrative. The appropriateness of Godin's title is best revealed during a careful reading of his lively narrative. As always, his ideas and writing style have Snap! Crackle! and Pop! Think of Godin as a cereal thinker.

In this volume, Godin offers his own profile of a great story: It is true, not because it is factual but because it is consistent and authentic; it offers a promise (e.g. enlightenment, entertainment, inspiration); it can be trusted because it is (to repeat) consistent and authentic; it is subtle; its impact "happens fast"; it appeals (preferably) to all of our senses (seldom, if ever to our logic); it is crafted for a specific audience; it does not contradict itself; and finally, it is in alignment with what its audience already knows, feels, believes, etc. Re the last point, a great story offers a reminder and a reassurance while, paradoxically, challenging conventional wisdom. Above all, it commands attention. Godin's profile of a great story also describes the most effective marketing campaigns.

Here's a question: What do Aesop, Jesus Christ, the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, Abraham Lincoln, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll), Joel Chandler Harris, and L. Frank Baum have in common? Answer: All were great storytellers who, obviously, can come in all shapes and sizes. One of Godin's most important points is that almost anyone can be a great storyteller IF they (a) have a convincing, indeed compelling story to tell and (b) they tell it to the right audience.

Albeit taken out of context, here are a few brief quotations which are representative of Godin's thinking:

"Every consumer has a worldview that affects the product you want to sell. That worldview alters the way they interpret everything you say and do. Frame your story in terms of the worldview, and it will be heard." (excerpted from page 60)

"People only notice stuff that's new and different. And the moment they notice something new, they start making guesses about what to expect next." (excerpted from page 68)

"Humans are able to make extremely sophisticated judgments in a fraction of a second. And once they've drawn that conclusion, they resist changing it." (excerpted from page 76)

"Stories let us lie to ourselves. And those lies satisfy our desires. It's the story, not the good or the service you actually sell, that pleases the customer." (excerpted from page 84)

"The only stories that work, the only stories with impact, the only stories that spread are the `I can't believe that!' stories. These are the stories that aren't just repeated: these are the stories that demand to be repeated." (excerpted from page 132)

For whom will this book be of greatest value? Good question. My own response is that those who are receptive to rigorous and coherent thinking which is unorthodox will be appreciative of it but only those who are both willing and able to MAKE HIS IDEAS WORK FOR THEM will derive any value from it. First, they must carefully consider the series of nine questions which Godin poses in the final section, "So, What to Do?" Next, they must re-read the book at least once and then formulate their own answers to those nine questions. Throughout that difficult but rewarding process, Godin suggests, they must "understand that the people with a worldview that gives them a bias to listen to you are the most valuable customers on earth. Get permission from them to follow up, then get to work finding new [or much improved] products for the people who want them."

Those who have not already done so are strongly urged to read Godin's earlier works, notably Permission Marketing, Unleash the Ideavirus, Survival Is Not Enough, Purple Cow, and Free Prize Inside!

OK, I will start by saying I am always skeptical of business books because I always feel like they are telling us something we already know. AND EVEN if it is something I don't already know, is it necessary to have a 208-page book essentially saying the same thing over and over again? The book is chock full of anecdotes, but all point to the same conclusion: the product must tell a good STORY. And to be honest, I am not so sure I buy into the use of the word "story". But, in any case, the author beats it to death. This book could have easily been summarized in a 2-3 page pamphlet. I noticed one reviewer included some quotes, most of which came within a 20 page span. As a book of stories, it works OK, but I think I would prefer a book like "The Tipping Point" before this one.

Marketers are always on a quest to discover the new best way to sell products. Author and marketing guru Seth Godin takes a slightly skewed look at the marketing principle of positioning and renames it "storytelling." In doing so, he redefines a market segment as a community with a shared worldview, and a marketing campaign as a story framed to fit that worldview. The idea is provocative. By tweaking the conventional approach to advertising, Godin gives marketers a new angle, backed up by enlightening case studies. At times the book is simplistic and repetitive, and it never fully gets into the meat of how to create and disseminate a marketing story. Still, Godin will intrigue you as he explains that purchases are driven by desire, not need, and that clever storytelling is better at whetting a purchaser's desires than an old-fashioned ad campaign. We recommend his practical marketing advice with its unorthodox approach to charming the cash right out of the customer's wallet.

(...)

All marketers tell stories, and if they do it right, we believe them. But the interesting part is that by believing the story the story becomes true. That is the premise of Seth Godin's latest book All Marketers Are Liars.

Nike tells a story of athleticism, of competition and excelling - and with that story they are able to sell a $150 shoe that is not far different than the $20 no-name running shoe you can buy at Wal-Mart. Apple tells a story of being creative and edgey and hip and are able to dominate the digital music market, despite other companies offering players that are not only technically better but are cheaper to purchase.

Seth argues that it's not the Nike shoe or ipod that satisfies our desires - but rather it's the story. Tell a good enough story and you can claim a premium on what you offer. Tell a good enough story to the right people and you will see the sales come through. The story doesn't have to necessarily be true but it must be authentic and consistent. The emperor can very happily walk stark naked through the streets and the people will for years talk about how spectacularly he was garbed.

I would have prefered if Seth offered up a few hard numbers, perhaps a case study of a company that did well by telling their story well versus one that bombed due to a lack of a consistant or inauthentic story. But then, Seth isn't here to present cold hard facts, but rather to tell a story of his own. If you've been following the story about marketing that Seth began laying out in Permission Marketing and has continued to develop through The Ideavirus, Purple Cow and Free Prize Inside, then you will definitely want this latest chapter. Seth's story is one that all marketers should know.