IF marketing & advertising

No, I’m still not finished with Linchpin either. And no, it’s not that it’s too difficult or too long, we’re actually that busy. We hoped to have the book read, the blogs written and the conversation wrapped up nicely before Linchpin comes out tomorrow, but that obviously hasn’t happened. But in this economy, I’m happy to be too busy to blog, and I think Seth would be proud of that, too.

Now, on to the book…

In response to Jonathan’s final question, “Can a company be a Linchpin?”, I have to say, yes. Obviously not every company can be one, and most companies aren’t, but I do think it’s possible.

I just finished reading the section on “Artists Who Can’t Draw” and there are some great parts that relate to this. And, interestingly enough, Seth’s blog post today is on the same subject.

In the book, Godin says “Art isn’t only a painting. Art is anything that’s creative, passionate, and personal. Great art resonates with the viewer, not only with the creator.”

I think that’s important for us as a creative agency. I’d love to think that everything we do is art, that we’re creating things that resonate with our clients and ourselves, but also for the audience. That’s the real goal of what we do, right?

He says, “Art is a personal gift that changes the recipient.” And that’s what we’re hoping to do. To change the viewer, to motivate them, to convince them to take action. We just have to show our clients that what we’re creating is art, get them on board with creating something for their customers, not just “putting something out there” or telling people why you are better. We’re creating something for the customer, the guest, the community, the world.

Wouldn’t it be a wonderful job if all we did was create art with our clients? I think that’s how a company can become a linchpin. If we can get people to join us in the belief that we’re creating something special together art, if we can convince them that it’s a gift to their audience (even if it’s being sold), if we can show them who we’re creating it for, and why that matters, I think everyone will be more successful.

Here’s to staying busy, and hopefully finishing Linchpin soon!

Having only read 50 pages of Linchpin so far, all I can say is: “brilliant.” But for the sake of the review, here goes:

Seth doesn’t write abstractly about his ideas. Instead his writing is like a conversion in which he is talking directly to you, but he doesn’t demand anything in return. He piques your curiosity with seemingly simple ideas which could have profound impacts.

The most obvious example is the title. He never made a point to define what a linchpin was, but he uses it throughout the book to make a point. Essentially, a linchpin is an innocuous and fairly ubiquitous item that can be purchased at any hardware store very cheaply. However, it’s critical to a wagon – it holds the wheel to the cart. Then entire wagon could not function without the linchpin.

I have only read a small part of the book thus far, because I actually had to put it down for a while. There are so many ideas I almost felt overwhelmed…like reading a month’s worth of his blog postings in a single sitting.

Through it he quotes Hugh MacLeod; by far my favorite cartoonist in the business card medium. And my favorite section: Will You Still Be Loved? In which he says, “It’s entirely possible that once you choose to become indispensable, you will no longer be loved.” Which really struck a chord with me until he wrote, “But (and I know it’s a big hurt but) either those people will come around, or they never loved you in the first place, did they?”

Now I’m wondering, can a company become a Linchpin, instead of just a person? Can we collectively fill that space and hold everything together for another company? And if we do, how will we know?