The Secret To Success - Seizing Opportunity

The Secret to Success - Seizing Opportunity
about:reader?url=https://brandmediastudio.com/seizing-opportu...
brandmediastudio.com
The Secret to Success - Seizing

Opportunity
If you could go back in time where would it be? Ive been thinking
lately, and for me it would be the 1920s. Couple of reasons first,
the technology isnt so backwards that Id be bored out of mind (I
mean at least they have radios and telephones), but perhaps more
importantly, given my knowledge, and the lack of regulation and the
open environment, the 1920s were by far a golden opportunity of
the wealth grab that resulted in Americas empires both criminal,
and legitimate. Just even a little bit of what I know, would
1 of 7
2/6/16, 3:04 AM
undoubtedly make me one of the most savvy businessmen in

history.
As a student of history, I know that it moves in patterns. As hard as
it may be to believe, this is the 1920s again in terms of culture,
society, and setting the rules for the remainder of the 21st
century. The disruption were experiencing globally, the changing
environment, the demand for information, its all back. Its not the
era of bootleg liquor and Prohibition, but people are hungering for
something much more than distilled juniper berries fulfillment in
their lives. So, are you going to just stand there? Or does
opportunity have to kick the door in?
Golden Age of Empire Making

Periods of disruption and permissive environments are rare. The
end of the 18th century gave birth to the Nation. That set off a
period of revolution against monarchy around the world. By the
middle of the 1800s even Englands monarchy was tenuous at
best; the vast majority of monarchs having met their end at the
head of a pike (or rather, head on a pike). The industrial revolution
of the 1900s gave birth to the industrial age. By 1940, however,
that age was set. Big industry had evolved. Big money had evolved.
Big everything had evolved and was firmly in control of the rules,
the rule making, and society as a whole.
And now its here again. It may be coincidence it happens at the
century changeovers but its here again.
2 of 7
2/6/16, 3:04 AM
The greatest instrument of control by both governments and elites

(whatever that word may mean to you), has been the control of
information and the control of media. Publishers have always been
among the most powerful. The printing press gave tremendous
power to those who controlled it because they could effectively
control information. In the 1900s, control of the media ultimately
allowed the temperance movement to enact prohibition by 1919
(the Volstead Act). Moreover, in the 1900s, so much had gone into
flux all aspects of production becoming mechanized it disrupted
who could start a business.
Those events are occurring again now there are disruptions in the
labor force largely as a result of computer automation and the
disinter-mediation of nearly every business model (see this piece by
CPG Grey). Moreover, the ability to create, publish, and delight
people drawing them in has never been more available to
anyone. Ive called this democratization of the creative for about
five years now, and apparently its an idea thats caught on in some
aspects of our discipline (Press Pause Play). The reality is, while
people may lack the talent or the ideas to create something suitable
for a mass audience, they are no longer held by back access to
capital, technology, or distribution channels.
Enter the Networked Society

Stein Braten, a guy Im sure youve never heard of, wrote a
book, Modeller av menneske og samfunn, which because its in
3 of 7
2/6/16, 3:04 AM
Norwegian, Im guessing you never read. Thats OK neither have

I. But the concept in that book, by Braten, was to introduce a
concept called the networked society, in which culture was shaped
an impacted directly by networks of information. This started an
entire discussion about how networks of information are shaping
culture and society, and that discussion ultimately culminates in a
book by Manuel Castells called The Rise of the Network Society
(1996). Castells posits (remember now hes looking at this almost a
full decade before it happens) that new media and communication
technologies, based around networks (hes thinking really early
types of social networking and media), are contributing to a
fundamental change in culture. The new development is a culture
of real virtuality, which describes a culture that is organized around
electronic media.
Were living it. Its here.
Charles Seife, a science journalism professor at New York
University, wrote a book called Virtual Unreality which chronicles
the challenges of a world where the digital and the real become
indistinguishable. He describes how the internet was making the
world a soapbox (think Facebook and everyones got an opinion)
and how knowing whats real (truthful) and whats fabricated is
becoming nearly impossible. A good example of this are those
Photoshop Videos that you find on YouTube.
99 Problems
4 of 7
2/6/16, 3:04 AM
People, however, are still people. What they want in their life is
fulfillment. While how you go about connecting people to what they
want may be changing the reality is that the rules are up for
grabs about how to fulfill peoples desires. The more creative and
cunning you can be in this period, the greater your chance of
success and the greater your chance of building your empire.
The problems people encounter in their lives rarely change from
generation to generation. The products they hire to solve these
problems change all the time.
If youre building a new product, its because you believe you can
create a better solution that people will want to use because it
delivers a better outcome. A strong understanding of the outcome
customers want, and how they currently get it, is essential for you to
succeed in product development.
Maybe your customers want to be entertained, or spend more time
with their friends, or understand what projects teammates are
working on, or maybe they want to project growth for their business.
If the desired outcome is real then they are already achieving it
through some product in some way. Your job is to improve upon
that.
So how are you? Rarely are you going to succeed through product
or service innovations alone. Its too easy to copy (for one thing)
and its never enduring (technology always changes). Your brand
5 of 7
2/6/16, 3:04 AM
story, however, doesnt necessarily change and the narratives

that you tell do create value and meaning in the lives of people
seeking fulfillment.
That mere fact is why someone can start a business and take on a
giant. Production prowess alone no longer guarantees
success. Newspapers, for example, believed they were in the
News Industry, and as such struggled to work out why people had
stopped buying their product. As one paper after another went
under, they would look left and right at their competitors and wonder
which newspaper had stolen their customers. They would
experiment with new formats, new layouts, lower prices, sharper
headlines, but they could not stop the erosion of their marketplace.
Had they instead focused on the outcome they deliver (entertained
for short bursts of time with bite-sized articles), then their
competitors (Twitter, Facebook, Buzzfeed, Vice, etc.) would not
have appeared so oblique to them. Its too late for newspapers. I
have no doubt that some newspapers make a great paper. I have
no doubt that the last company making buggy whips probably made
the best damn buggy whip you ever saw. The car came anyways.
People will always look for a better way to fulfill their needs.
Build an Audience that Builds your Business

We know of only one way that is enduring through a strong
narrative story that builds connections between yourself and an
audience of customers.
6 of 7
2/6/16, 3:04 AM
Whether we want to accept this or not, emotion completely

dominates our decisions and experiences. Despite all this belief
about rational decision making, in the end we go with our gut.
Everything starts with emotion. Memories affect our thoughts and
opinions; feelings affect our moods and behaviors. The human
limbic system is the gatekeeper for all higher thought processing
and evaluation. In order to build relationships with your audience,
you have to first connect with readers on an emotional level.
Because when emotion is missing, were not really engaged.
There has never been a better time to be able to harness the tools
of storytelling and connecting with emotion than now. The land grab
of wealth is on and the price of entry is really only your
commitment to try and your determination to succeed. Opportunity
is kicking the door in. People want fulfillment in their lives through
emotional connection and meaning.
Are you going to give it to them?
Bottoms up gentlemen, because its a golden age for those who are
willing to go seize it.
7 of 7
2/6/16, 3:04 AM

The Secret To Success - Seizing Opportunity

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Originaltitel

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

The Secret To Success - Seizing Opportunity

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

The Secret to Success - Seizing Opportunity