On the heels of Ron Paul’s $5 million 3Q fundraising acheivement, the mainstream media is finally starting to take notice. Supporters are ecstatic, detractors are having fits trying to figure out how he does it.
Seth Godin knows exactly what’s happening, which is why I’m so surprised he hasn’t said anything about it. Paul represents the epitome of what Godin’s beliefs are about marketing and spreading ideas in the world today.
Paul is the perfect Purple Cow. While the other Republican candidates are busy trying to out say the same thing, Paul has gone the other way on the majority of issues. He stands out because his ideas are remarkable, which Godin defines as “anything worth remarking about.” While it takes a lot of time and effort to split out where the other candidates fall on certain issues, anyone who listens to Paul for three minutes knows where he stands and why.
His Purple-ness is even stronger because it’s authentic. Just as a company can’t try to package crappy products in a remarkable way and expect success, the other candidates are running into problems putting a shiny veneer over a shoddy foundation. Their talking points are rife with contradictions, both from classic conservative ideals and their own track records. Paul doesn’t have to worry about any of that, because his ideas today are exactly what they were 20 years ago. His uniqueness is genuine, and people find his authenticity refreshing.
Having a strong, remarkable idea makes creating and spreading his ideavirus much easier. You can tell people in 20 words what makes him special. He’s found a large enough “hive” to target, since his ideas resonate across party lines. And he’s infected thousands of “sneezers” who energetically, passionately spread the word to their own (sometimes bizarre) spheres of influence.
When you have all these things in place choosing the right medium is easy, and the internet loves a good ideavirus. YouTube is a tactical decision. Ditto having a Facebook group or putting up a ticker showing donations in real time. The other candidates are doing the same thing. But his success in these spaces is a result of having all the other components of an effective ideavirus put together.
I don’t know whether he’ll win the nomination or not. But waching a humble, extremely smart doctor rack up $5 million in donations with an average donation of $40 (!) is exciting, both from the point of view of a supporter and a marketer. It makes me think we might actually live in a democracy, and it reinforces my belief that marketing can be a force for good in the world.
4 responses
It might be that Seth is a Democrat and doesn’t believe in his agenda nor does he want to send any interest Ron Paul’s way. I don’t know that for sure, but it seems a likely guess. :-)
True enough. I guess I figure Seth assumes his audience is bright enough to make up their own minds about something like this. Then again, Paul’s had problems precisely because that’s not the case :)
If you like Ron Paul so much, why don’t you just marry him?
Would you be our photographer?