I'm one of those people that loves studying the naturals-- the select few who marry hard work with a dash of genius and tremendous charisma to set themselves apart from the rest of us. I love trying to extract the magnetic tendencies that make them special, like a scientist in search of the Higgs boson. Who's on my list? I think of people like the late Carl Sagan, who popularized the modern understanding of the universe and earth's relation to the cosmos. Or Tiger Woods, child prodigy at the age of 2, winner of 14 majors, who combines effortless power with pure unflappability to both dominate and elevate a sport. Or even somebody like Rick Warren, author of the über-bestselling devotional, The Purpose Driven Life, a book that launched a new wave of spiritual awakening by flipping the old self-actualization movement on its head.
There are others (and not all guys, of course... J.K. Rowling, Oprah Winfrey, etc.). They're the game changers-- not just because they're smart and talented (there are many smart people), or because they're visionaries (we all stumble upon a unique insight now and then) with larger than life egos-- but because they seem to be almost hardwired with the ability to connect with and inspire people, both inside and outside of their profession. This gives them that coveted crossover appeal, the ability to transcend a category. Put Steve Jobs on this list. The guy is a marketing natural, someone who sees simplicity in the complex, and instinctively understands how humans prefer to interface and collaborate with machines and one another.
Jobs is also a master presenter, and a communications coach by the name of Carmine Gallo recently wrote an entire book on the supposed secrets of his trademark style, summarized in this recent Business Week article. So needless to say I was pretty interested. And as I read it, the broader marketing and branding lessons were obvious-- no surprise, since a presentation is, after all, just promotion, one of the 4 Ps. So... I give you, Gallo's 5 secrets for presenting and promoting like a marketing natural, followed by a few comments and observations:
-- 1. A headline. Steve Jobs positions every product with a headline that fits well within a 140-character Twitter post. For example, Jobs described the MacBook Air as "the world's thinnest notebook." That phrase appeared on his presentation slides, the Apple Web site, and Apple's press releases at the same time. What is the one thing you want people to know about your product? This headline must be consistent in all of your marketing and presentation material.
People relate to narratives, and brand building is, really, just telling an ongoing story about your brand's purpose in the universe. And that story needs chapters with headlines-- which are often your products and services. And just like you wouldn't bring something to market without a sound business case, so also should you have a succinct consumer case that summarizes its core benefits, competitive differentiation and link to your brand's... raison d'etre. Summarizing a complex idea in a few words is one of the most value-added things a marketer can do because it sets the table for alignment, giving teams from marketing communications, training, operations (among others) a common language and understanding, which makes a company vastly more fleet footed and competitive.
--2. A villain. In every classic story, the hero fights the villain. In 1984, the villain, according to Apple, was IBM (IBM). Before Jobs introduced the famous 1984 television ad to the Apple sales team for the first time, he told a story of how IBM was bent on dominating the computer industry. "IBM wants it all and is aiming its guns on its last obstacle to industry control: Apple." Today, the "villain" in Apple's narrative is played by Microsoft (MSFT). One can argue that the popular "I'm a Mac" television ads are hero/villain vignettes. This idea of conquering a shared enemy is a powerful motivator and turns customers into evangelists.
There's a little more to the story here I think. You can only position a competitor as a villain or a bogeyman if the case can be made they that they are both powerful and a menace to consumers-- otherwise it just looks like nerdy Coke/Pepsi-type bickering. And you have to simultaneously position yourself as the white knight. In other words, you have to behave like a classic challenger brand to pull this off, the pageantry of David taking on Goliath. If consumers see your cause as authentic and honorable, and your competitor(s) as disingenuous or disreputable, you'll engage them at a far higher, more emotional level, which is usually a good thing. And I believe even mega-sized corporations can effectively position themselves as challengers so long as they pick the right villain-- which could be a competitor in an unsustainable position (think McDonald's/Dunkin vs. Starbucks) or a befuddled establishment (Southwest vs. The Airlines) or a rigged status quo (Ross Perot vs. 2 Party Rule). America loves a populist.
--3. A simple slide. Apple products are easy to use because of the elimination of clutter. The same approach applies to the slides in a Steve Jobs presentation. They are strikingly simple, visual, and yes, devoid of bullet points. Pictures are dominant. When Jobs introduced the MacBook Air, no words could replace a photo of a hand pulling the notebook computer out of an interoffice manila envelope. Think about it this way—the average PowerPoint slide has 40 words. In some presentations, Steve Jobs has a total of seven words in 10 slides. And why are you cluttering up your slides with too many words?
Most of us learn this rule of presentation early in our careers-- less is usually more. We see others bomb with cluttered powerpoint slides, print ads, television spots and the like, and we chuckle... "that'll never be ME, hardy har har." And yet, for whatever reason, we'll turn right around and commit the same cardinal sin ourselves. I think it's because, in the moment, we have soooo many pieces to the puzzle in our minds that we're dying to communicate, so many selling points and lines of rationale that we're aching to get off our chests, that we just can't help ourselves. It takes discipline and contemplation to whittle it down to the fundamental building blocks. At the end of the day, most people aren't as close to it as you and won't stomach 25% of what's in your brain, they have their own lives to reconcile-- so lead with your best material and let the Q&A, leave-behind or website clean up the details.
--4. A demo. Neuroscientists have discovered that the brain gets bored easily. Steve Jobs doesn't give you time to lose interest. Ten minutes into a presentation he's often demonstrating a new product or feature and having fun doing it. When he introduced the iPhone at Macworld 2007, Jobs demonstrated how Google Maps (GOOG) worked on the device. He pulled up a list of Starbucks (SBUX) stores in the local area and said, "Let's call one." When someone answered, Jobs said: "I'd like to order 4,000 lattes to go, please. No, just kidding."
This is related to point #3. People just don't have much of any attention span anymore. We are essentially ADD Nation at this point (no offense to folks who suffer from actual ADD). Yet in order to be memorable, you have to be retained-- and to be retained, you have to entertain. And I believe you cannot entertain without taking some risks and mixing it up in communications-- many times of the unscripted variety, which allow people to get to know you. Jobs likes the hands-on show & tell... sure, something could go wrong, so what? Reel them in. Or maybe it's allowing consumers to post content on your website, which might be negative ((gasp!!)). We are in the era of open-source innovation... iPhone applications, Mozilla software, Wikipedia-- consumers want to feel like participants, not passersby. It's amazing how many companies still want to do highly controlled, one-way conversations these days, as if it's the 1950s and we're all newbies to commercialization.
--5. A holy smokes moment. Every Steve Jobs presentation has one moment that neuroscientists call an "emotionally charged event." The emotionally charged event is the equivalent of a mental post-it note that tells the brain, Remember this! For example, at Macworld 2007, Jobs could have opened the presentation by telling the audience that Apple was unveiling a new mobile phone that also played music, games, and video. Instead he built up the drama. "Today, we are introducing three revolutionary products. The first one is a widescreen iPod with touch controls. The second is a revolutionary mobile phone. And the third is a breakthrough Internet communications device…an iPod, a phone, an Internet communicator…an iPod, a phone, are you getting it? These are not three devices. This is one device!" The audience erupted in cheers because it was so unexpected, and very entertaining..
This is where the dash of genius comes into play. It's more than a provocative headline or creative premise or nifty animation. It's master showmanship, the great reveal of the big idea in a completely unexpected and refreshing way. Great promotion leads the consumer to the emotional crescendo that carries the key takeaway. This becomes, as Gallo characterizes it, the proverbial mental post-it note that the audience retains.
Gallo closes by stating that Jobs always couches his pitches in dreams and experiences. This is just a matter of evolving rational brand benefits to higher level emotional needs or meaning. DeBeers says "A diamond is forever"...Olive Garden says "When you're here, you're family"...Walmart says "Save money. Live better." Compete on the highest playing field possible, and it becomes a rallying cry for your employees and customers alike, and allows you to define your space in the marketplace.
So there you have it... narrative, pageantry, single-mindedness, engagement, emotional crescendo of the big idea. Steve Jobs. We can't become naturals, but we can fake it by taking good notes and self-assessing our own practices.
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