TED Talk by Simon Sinek

From blogs.ubc.ca/etec522Sept2013
Posted in: General, Pitch Pool

TED Talk by Simon Sinek – Why, How, What

A post by psweeze at 6:05 pm on September 23, 2013

This was a great TED talk by Simon Sinek that breaks down, why marketing properly and crafting the right message or pitch is more important then the product itself. “People don’t buy what you do… they buy why you do it”, is his main statement he continually reflects back on.

I found when assessing pitches this was a great primer for helping me view the pitch more objectively. Putting it into perspective and allowing the EVA to decipher whether or not it was just well polished, or have they defined what makes their startup different. In the end it allowed me to ask myself if the person giving the pitch accurately explained why they created their product in the first place. If they can sell that, and it makes sense, I’m willing to consider investing.

 
Comment by mdetharet 10:47 am on September 24, 2013

Thanks for posting this TED talk, he makes a lot of valid points, I was also struck by the importance of the “why” when trying to sell and idea, political views or an item. I never thought of it that way before. I really liked his Apple analogy which made perfect sense to me. Thanks for sharing.

 
Comment by jiorns 10:28 pm on September 27, 2013

Thanks for posting. The delivery of the presentation couldn’t be faulted; very persuasive. The theory that people buy a product because they align with the purpose of the producer/distributor is interesting. It made me reflect on marketing theory – which puts it differently. People buy a product or service because it meets their personal wants and needs. The positioning takes place in the mind.

I think Simon is integrating branding and product promotion into one piece with this theory, and that is interesting. A company doing something good would create good brand image, and a consumer may buy a product from that brand so long as it also met a perceived want/need. I bought an iPhone this year because I wanted its functionality and proven reliability/security. I compared Apple and competitor products before making the decision. It wasn’t a brand decision, no matter how good the higher purpose is of Apple and what it believes in.