A Godin Glossary

Seth Godin

Many of those who have read few (if any) of Seth Godin’s books have presumably heard one or more of the terms that he has devised. Here are nine, most of which were introduced in a book of that title, with my take on them.

The Big Moo: Godin and 33 among his kindred spirits (collectively) respond to two questions in the book that bears this name.

1. If being remarkable is the only way to grow, how to become remarkable?

2. If the only barrier to being remarkable is one’s ability to persuade associates to make it happen, how to do that?

A large purple cow is much easier to see than a small one is. You get the idea.

The Big Red Fez: Godin: “One of the best ways to remind yourself about what’s really going on [when someone visits a Web site] is to think of a monkey in a big red fez…The best way to motivate the monkey [to take a desired action], of course, is to use a banana. Whenever a monkey walks into a new situation, all it wants to know is, ‘Where’s the banana?’ If the banana isn’t easy to see, easy to get and obvious, the monkey is going to lose interest. But if you can make it clear to the monkey what’s in it for him, odds are he’ll do what you want.” Obviously, the monkey is the Web site visitor and the banana is the incentive mechanism.

The Dip: Godin asserts that every effort to achieve success (however defined) encounters barriers (e.g. superior forces of resistance, poor luck, bad timing, loss of commitment) and reaches a low point (i.e. dip). Keep going, hang in there, etc. or stop, cut losses, live to fight another day, etc. In poker, for example, you need to “know when to hold‘em and know when to fold ‘em.” Godin: “Being the best in the world is underrated, but becoming the best is harder than it looks.” Expect resistance and complications but don’t feed hay to a dead horse.

Ideavirus: This term is almost inextricable from other terms such as BUZZ as well as word-of-mouth and viral marketing. The objective is to devise an idea that is so appealing that it spreads like the proverbial wildfire, like a virus, etc. Godin: “Ideas that spread, win.”

Linchpin: This is a person who is indispensable to others. Linchpins hold a team or organization or even a nation together. They ensure that troops hold their ground when under attack, they will not allow their teammates to lose hope of victory, they will not allow a people to surrender, they sustain morale and collaboration when a company struggles to survive. For obvious reasons, their value is incalculable. Godin: “The linchin is coming from a posture of generosity; she’s there to give a gift [no-strings support of your efforts to succeed]. If that’s your intent, the words almost don’t matter. What we’ll perceive are your wishes, not the script.”

Meatball Sundae: Just as companies should not have the same person responsible for both marketing and sales, it also makes no sense to try to combine traditional marketing with what is now required in the Digital Age. Godin: “Combining old marketing with new makes a mess. We’re living through an industrial revolution, [so] start acting that way…If you want to succeed online, you must change what you make! Making meatballs and trying to market them online just isn’t going to work.”

Purple Cow: After seeing one idyllic cow after another after another after another, none seems remarkable. However, a “purple cow”… that would certainly be different. The objective is to differentiate yourself in ways that are most important to those who buy what you and your competitors sell. Godin: “In order for your idea to spread, it better be worth talking about.” In a word, remarkable.

Tribes: Those who comprise human communities can and should be both active and interactive, connected and collaborative, leaders who follow and followers who lead. Godin: “The new, highly leveraged tools of the Net make it easier to create a movement, to make things happen, to get things done. All that’s missing is leadership… We need you to lead us, and leadership is the new marketing.”

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