Trend setting
I was at the P2P and Media Summits in New York City this week and listened to an assortment of interesting CEOs, technologists and attorneys (yes, even the lawyers were pretty good). It's hard to overstate just how quickly the world of digital entertainment and social networking is moving - it's very exciting. One thing that hasn't changed is the regularity with which executives rely on the trend du jour in their presentations. I wish I could collect a dollar for every executive that says, "Because The World is Flat today, you can expect to see us Crossing Chasms to reach our Tipping Point and fully realize the benefits of the Long Tail." That's a stretch, but not by much.
Inserting a few pithy references to today's hottest business literature isn't necessary, and it can be distracting. While one executive was speaking, a CEO sitting next to me leaned over and sniffed, "This guy obviously doesn't get the Long Tail concept." Who cares? The only thing that matters is having a product/service that people want to buy. Don't worry about fitting into the current fashion. Talk clearly and enthusiastically about how your business is unique. It's better to set trends than to follow them.
Posted by John Moran on February 8, 2007 at 3:22 PM
