Sway Something Else.

Being in advertising, it’s important to stay on top of trends and issues surrounding you and your clients. Because, after all, your clients are paying you to sell their products, so it’s good to know how your audience thinks, right? Ok, I’ll buy that. Walk into any bookstore, and you’ll be sure to find fantastic writings from the Gladwells, the Godins, or the Heaths. Writings that proudly claim to know the secret of changing culture and gaining awesome success. I’ll use the infamous book, for example, “The TIpping Point,” by Malcolm Gladwell, that dives deep into what makes something a cultural phenomenon. Or lets take “Made to Stick,” by Chip Heath, which describes what makes something “stick” with consumers.

While I have nothing against these books, in the end, I felt very disappointed with each reading. Somehow I came out with more questions than answers, and while some scholars would claim, “Ah, but that is learning my dear friend!,” I call bullshit.

The fact is, none of these authors have answers to cultural phenomenon anymore than a 12 year kid in a small town in Kansas. To say, one knows the secrets to changing culture is blowing smoke up your ass. Why? Because no one, unless they are time travelers, can predict the future.

You want the big secret? CREATE AWESOME CONTENT. Actaully better yet, CREATE AN AWESOME PRODUCT. And I’m talking quality OVER quantity. Too many brands are getting caught up in social media, because the “experts” say they should.

Don’t make that mistake.