The Rise of Tribes and the End of Normal - We Are All Weird

Decent read. Its becoming slightly dated with references to technology (VHS and DVD players) but that is difficult to avoid when working with real life examples. I agreed and disagreed on some of the topics discussed/views of the author. Most people with some marketing background/knowledge probably will. Some of the examples and graphs are supposed to project or backup claims in a humorous manner but because some of the things with in the examples aren't really related enough to graph or compare together I think they detract from his arguments. That being said, there are many valid points and good information in the book and its an easy read. One thing I think could be added (and maybe he blogs about this topic but I don't follow him so I don't know) would be to address how both the marketers and the weird masses market to themselves via online places like etsy the store, etc. while retail stores follow suit usually further along the adoption curve. It would also help to add examples and explanations as to how marketers split out certain traits/patterns/demographics/etc and base advertising/marketing to each grouping. Travel around a bit and you will notice the subtle (and sometimes drastic) differences in techniques used in commercials, billboards, and language being used to market to you. I would recommend checking this out (or go out and read his blog like many other reviews have suggested) and get the gist of what he is marketing/selling to you (and idea). Its always good to have multiple perspectives when it comes to the subject of marketing. Oh, and to state the obvious its OK to be yourself/weird.

In this work, Godin writes about an interesting idea. Namely, now that most people have enough to satisfy most of their basic needs, they are starting to look for things that are different, unusual, and/or are aligned with their personal interests in order to define themselves. They also look for communities dedicated to these niche interest areas in order to find like-minded people. He defines these interest areas as "weird" because they are outside the normal range of what are considered basic needs.

He makes an interesting observation to which marketers should pay attention in that we all seek to express ourselves in our own individual ways and the Internet allows us to find communities and products and services dedicated to even the most obscure hobbies and interests. Therein lies the opportunity for marketers. People are creating communities and buying products that cater to ever-increasingly obscure interest areas. You know, weird (not usual or "mass appeal") things.

Others have already commented on the length of the book and how it compares to other works by the author so I will leave that alone, but it is an interesting concept that will get you thinking about where you might find your next opportunity.

~~Review by the author of the e-book, "How to Build and Manage Your Brand (in sickness and in health)."

This book brings to light what marketers already know...consumers have gotten really, really good at ignoring mass marketing.
People are adapting to all of that noise and learning ways to shut it out.

But here's the rub: we don't want to shut out all of the messages.
More than ever, we want solutions that meet our needs.
We want answers that fit us to a tee.
We want someone to scratch that itch ... and we're willing to pay for it.

As Seth says...People don't want what marketers want to sell. They want what they want.
Show up with the right message at the right place for the right person, and they're all over it.

This book throws down a challenge: Do you have the guts to make the shift in your industry to fashion your solutions so that they celebrate the weirdness (uniqueness) of your people... meaning they're far from right for "everyone"?

You will need to turn some business away.
You will need to embrace the weirdness of you and what makes you tick.
You will need to love on who you're really, really, really here to help.

Let your tribe know you "get them" -- that you adore how they're choosing to show up in the world and that you're here to provide exactly what they need to thrive in their choices. This book reminds us that this is not only the best path forward for business today, but the only path toward sustained growth (and personal fulfillment).

The hour you spend reading this book - and likely rereading it along this path as your courage wanes - is time well spent.

Mollie Marti, JD, PhD
Author of "WALKING WITH JUSTICE: Uncommon Lessons from One of Life's Greatest Mentors"

If you are familiar with Chris Anderson's "The Long Tail", then you can skip this book, and if not, well, I would recommend you check it out instead. I'm a big fan and follower of Seth's work, but this one falls short of his usual, vivid and brilliant insights. The premise is simple: we're moving beyond mass manufacturing/advertising/identity, instead our new "freedom" is our ability to embrace our own individual quirks - aka, we're all weird. It's a compelling idea, but it is also a one sided pitch, largely unproven, and under heated debate.

Without exception, every time I have started one of Seth Godin's books, it doesn't take long before I'm wondering, "Wow, why didn't I think of that?" His insight, observations and assertions reflect a keen sense of awareness of the constant change taking place in our world re: the way business gets done these days. I have learned so many useful things from all of his books, and this one was no exception.

A pretty quick read. The author gives an interesting glimpse of the weird market that is developing, not just with consumerism, but also taking a brief look at compliance and the education in America. He complains but does not give a solid plan of action for change in the education system, which is understandable, I wouldn't try either. Lol.

Not sure where Seth was... when he wrote this... but this book lacks all his typical edgy, insightful words.
I found the read long-winded... boring... until the last 5 pages there are 2 statements which does tell... seth is not lost.. perhaps tired.

These 2 insights are:
1: there is no mass. us/them has ended. (so if you seek the niche, seth and reader failed).
culture is now a collection of tribes. each tribe is a community of interests, many of whom get along, some that dont. no mass. no niches.
2: The many silos of interest we live with now ENABLE a totally different sort of communication, certainly, but they also demand a
fundamentally DIFFERENT SORTA ORGANIZATION, one that can DELIVER PARTICULAR instead of general. (my emphasis)

Worse, in this book Seth suffers from the marketing-push syndrome. Marketing is the secret sauce... so NOT. ACTIONABLE INSIGHT is the secret sauce. Seth says designing way cool product is building the marketing in the product. I still call this design. Thats Art to me. Intriguing he always feels the need push marketing.

Better content is in Seth Godin "On Tour" 2010 November content or the YouTube vid SoftwareAsBusiness. This book would of been better to tease the key message in these presentations.
That was:
The revolution is about MASS is gone. So the question we need to be asking... answering... is:
> What products do they (prospects) want? (so businesses are hunting for the "products" aka apple, who showed us what we didnt even realise we needed)
> rather than industrial revolution thinking of "How do I find customers for my products?" (these old-fashion organisations are hunting for customers)
In it, shows a slide, where re-sequences the PRODUCT word to front....
people dont get this. Its so obvious, its starring us in the face.

So at the end of the book, in the last 5 pages, when he speaks to this. That is GOLD. Until then, wasting my time.
e.g. the example of the Shoe-company giving a shoe to community for every shoe sold -- as an example of DELIVER PARTICULAR

So why not write a book, just on this topic. Bring it alive. Cover across all the industries.. and show how they are SO NOT GETTING it...how at best they are making a meatball sundae.... AND us wierdies... would so so so love them to get it.
e.g.

> BANKS - stop charging merchant fees. full stop. that is the disruption. merchant fees are like a hidden tax. way uncool. I want to flick payment from my iphone to whoever business. just a flick. no cost to either party. currently the small business pays a merchant fee to the banks for me to use my debit card. its my money after all.

> CRM industry - stop selling apps for the old linear sales prospecting process. its over. give me an toolset that i can mould and create the new process... in less than 30min... Like force.com but open-source and across all components e.g. ideas, wiki like Knowledge Base, widgets for my website. Force.com on steriods with a real workflow-engine, not its quasi workflow. Allow me to capture the insights what my customer's want in a way cool way.

> Would love 37Signals... build us that toolset... v apps. Sure your apps are nicer than microsoft and lack bloat. But that's playing small. Business Model half life has reduced... we need PaaS-enabled agility. Forget Business process improvement. Its about new business-models. Business Model innovation. BPI to BModel is Chalk and Cheese. or said another way... process improvement is now like building the airplane as we fly it. So come on salesforce.com forget this "social business" nonsense... that's just pretending. thats an incremental improvement on the industrial revolution business-model. Come-on 37Signals... you built RubyOnRails... now bring it to click-land. Bring it too the front-liners... the small-business revolution. Disrupt.

This was thankfully a short read because there just wasn't much for Seth to talk about. I'm a huge fan of some of his previous works, and I consider 'The Dip' to be one of my favorite business reads, but compare both short books and you'll see what a giant gap it is. If you're interested in this topic, I'd recommend you read the Long Tail by Chris Anderson instead which has a much more insightful and indepth coverage of this subject matter.

The writing was boring and rambling, lacking cohesion and smooth transitions. I would have enjoyed the subject matter if it wasn't so gosh darn painful to read.
There were times when I was compelled to give it one more chance, and then just one more again. However, it continued to disappoint me with it's shallow and disjointed statements. And ultimately, confusing and anti-climatic conclusions.
This book shouldn't be offered for free to readers, people may misguidedly read it. Like I did. I want that time back.

Got tired of watching paint dry. After the first two chapters, it already felt like the author was simultaneously going nowhere with his point, and yet had maybe already made it sufficiently in the first couple of paragraphs. Did it need to be a book?

How to start...Master piece by Seth. I believe there is no other person in this world who can name his visionary ideas in such digestible way.
Seth is true artist and his thoughts are revolutionary.However his genuineness is still ignored by many (publishers, CEOs and decision makers), Seth still keeps marching on. He gives and shares his top notch opinions with us. If you are curious to know where is our world, business, marketing and culture heading to, read this book. If you think you know it all, then this book is not for you, you are not weird enough to be in our tribe;-)
cheers from Slovakia,
i.

This is why our government doesn't work. it explains why corporations have begun paying for information on consumers. Read this and it will become clear why our education system is failing. After you've read this, try to find a practical way to embrace the theory.

A great topic with vast potential to go deep. Unfortunately, Seth only scratches the surface of the topic leading the reader nowhere. I kept hoping a breakthrough moment until the last page of the book but had none. As many other reviewers remarked, this could have been a good article (which I regularly enjoy from Seth) at best but far lacks the vision and content to be a book.

Seth Godin's thoughts here in this book have alleviated the stress I once felt about the kind of business I thought I should build. It's given me a context for the messages I hear everyday about being a successful business owner and Instead given me a more logical and meaningful aim. I couldn't be more grateful for having read this book!

All to often I find myself seeking permission to be myself. This book validates individuality and more. I applaud Seth Godin for speaking out for those of us who are happily weird; while simultaneously, encouraging folks to embrace their creative impulses.

Finally gave Seth Godin a chance after hearing an excellent conversation with him on the On Being podcast. Now I can't get enough. I feel validated and energized by his perspectives. His wisdom and ideas encourage me to work on my plan for embracing my weirdness (even more) and keep trying to find my people.

Love the ideas expressed here. As a weirdo, I appreciate the notion that if we could all just embrace who we are at our core... Only good things will come from it! The freedom to choose is truly what makes us rich. Thanks Seth!

Don't read this book...if...you believe that Henry Ford was right in wanting everyone to buy a black car. If, on the other hand, just one color for cars doesn't meet your own needs...get this buy...now!