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10 TED Talks to Re-think Your Marketing

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by Web Marketing Today. Practical Ecommerce acquired Web Marketing Today in 2012. In 2016, we merged the two sites, leaving Practical Ecommerce as the successor.

TED started as a conference to bring together people from the Technology, Entertainment, and Design worlds. TED.com posts speeches from experts, which TED describes as “riveting talks by remarkable people.” These are known as TED Talks.

Here are 10 TED Talks that might make you re-think your current marketing strategy.

Seth Godin: How to get your ideas to spread

Legendary marketer Seth Godin delves into why the bizarre idea might be better than the safe one when it comes to Internet marketing.

John Gerzema: The post-crisis consumer

Advertiser and analyst John Gerzema discusses dealing with consumers in a post-crisis environment. Although filed in 2009, the recent fear over the “Fiscal Cliff” brings this TED Talk to light again.

Renny Gleeson: 404, the story of a page not found

Your website visitors are looking for content: products, ideas, and, most of all, help. Renny Gleeson, a former game designer and now global digital strategies director at Wieden+Kennedy, talks about the “404 page,” which visitors encounter when a URL doesn’t exist. It’s a comical look at good marketing and design on a web page you hope your prospects never see.

Derek Sivers: How to start a movement

The concept of a “movement” doesn’t always come with a positive connotation. However, a movement behind your brand could be the best thing that ever happened to you. Derek Sivers — founder of CD Baby, and now owner of MuckWork — explains what goes into making a movement, and how you might start one.

Malcolm Gladwell: Choice, happiness, and spaghetti sauce

Consumers buy to be happy, and to fill a want or need. The Internet has made choice a given, as opposed to an option. Malcolm Gladwell, a writer for The New Yorker magazine, points out how these two factors drove the spaghetti sauce industry to change.

Virginia Postrel on glamour

Virginia Postrel, a journalist for The Atlantic and Forbes, dissects glamor, and expands its definition to include any “calculated, carefully polished image designed to impress and persuade.” She says there is an opportunity to utilize glamor in marketing, regardless of product or service being offered.

Morgan Spurlock: The greatest TED Talk ever sold

Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock discusses brand marketing in the context of the making of his film, “The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.”

Alexis Ohanian: How to make a splash in social media

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian tells the tale of Mister Splashy Pants, a fictional whale that helped stop a humpback whaling expedition to the Antarctic — all with the help of social media.

Stefan Sagmeister: Designing with slogans

Celebrated graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister offers insight into slogans, and how they can be incorporated into larger marketing concepts and ideas.

Milton Glaser: Using design to make ideas new

In a talk from 1998, iconic designer Milton Glaser describes what makes a convincing poster. There are key elements of his thoughts that can be applied to display advertising on the web.

Kevin Webster
Kevin Webster
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