Seth Godin has a completely opposite view and explains it very well in his book “The Purple Cow”. To do this, he uses Moore’s curve of diffusion of ideas. It shows how new products or ideas spread through the population. It is a process that goes from left to right and, before a product is consumed by the early and lagging majority (the majority of the population), it must have been adopted by innovators and early adopters.
It is very tempting to skip the left side of the curve and go straight to the middle. To focus all efforts on seducing the two largest groups and ignore the minorities at the extremes. It even seems the most sensible, the least risky. According to Seth Godin, the opposite is much safer: "in many markets the value of a group is independent of its size: it depends on its influence." The precocious and lagging majority is satisfied with its usual products, does not like having to adapt to new developments, clings to what it has and does not pay attention to market developments. It would be a waste to invest in advertising and marketing to seduce a segment of the market that will not even listen to us.
The alternative is to attract the attention of innovators and early adopters with truly novel products. They will listen to us, as long as what we have to say is interesting. They are people who like change, are eager to see what's coming out on the market and actively seek out information about the latest trends. Only when we have conquered the left side of the curve will it really be possible to reach the central and majority. And it will be the innovators and early adopters who would be responsible for spreading the word about our product or brand, since they have a great influence on the rest of the curve. They would proclaim the benefits and wonders of our product and it will be just as easy or easier for them to spread the word if our product has advantages that are easy to explain and easily demonstrable.
NIt is not about products for the vast majority or large advertising investments. If we try to please everyone, the only thing we will achieve is to go unnoticed. We must look for market niches and adapt the offer so that a certain target feels identified and gets involved with our product and its dissemination. It is about designing different, novel and attractive products that attract the attention of those who are really interested in change. And also equipping them with characteristics that, beyond being advantageous with respect to what currently exists, are easy to explain and transmit to third-party consumers who a priori are not willing to adopt any novelty. Products that give rise to commentary, that can come up spontaneously in any conversation, that people are willing to share their benefits openly on Facebook or that can be trending topics on Twitter.
Raul Hidalga
