“On Standing Out”

Recently we have experienced a huge interest of online gadget communities towards our company and the products we are making. Especially, the product we have recently introduced to the market: the ECTACO jetBook Lite. There was very little money involved in promoting the product, yet the word has spread out: many online magazines and bloggers dealing with eBook readers and gadgets have placed an article about the product totaling in almost 80 000 pages the first week after the release was announced, which is not that little for someone who is not an industrial giant, especially considering that there was, practically, no advertising.

Why the jetBook evoked so much interest? The answer is simple: because it is different.



If you look at this situation from the point of view of marketing, PR or product management, according to Seth Godin, an American author of business books and a popular speaker, the time when a product was imposed on the consumer by means of advertising has passed. Godin claims that on the modern market the product needs to stand out, arguing that the only thing in common in popularity between, for example, Wal-Mart and Tiffany’s, is that they have nothing in common. And by standing out the product should reach not for the average but for the margin, which will care and spread the word and make the product popular. I am quoting now the speech Godin gave at TED’s because this is exactly what ECTACO did with jetBook Lite.

The speech is very inspirational and informative. I hope you enjoy it!