Comments on: Has Seth Godin contridicted himself? http://shawnwoodwrites.com/blog/seth_godin_contridiction/ About Stuff... Tue, 24 Apr 2012 19:26:34 -0400 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Jeremy http://shawnwoodwrites.com/blog/seth_godin_contridiction/comment-page-1/#comment-887 Jeremy Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:47:20 +0000 http://shawnwoodwrites.com/?p=905#comment-887 I guess there's a lot of factors in play there. Who makes the decision to post that sign? Is it the driver? Is it the company? Why do they decide to use that sign? Is it a cost thing? Is it a strategy thing? In his post, Seth is operating under the assumption that it is a specific strategy decision. He's saying that it's an excellent strategy. The sign is supposed to look bad, so it is excellent at looking awful. So, to answer the titular question, no, I don't believe Seth Godin contradicted himself. I guess there’s a lot of factors in play there. Who makes the decision to post that sign? Is it the driver? Is it the company? Why do they decide to use that sign? Is it a cost thing? Is it a strategy thing?

In his post, Seth is operating under the assumption that it is a specific strategy decision. He’s saying that it’s an excellent strategy. The sign is supposed to look bad, so it is excellent at looking awful.

So, to answer the titular question, no, I don’t believe Seth Godin contradicted himself.

]]> By: ShawnWood http://shawnwoodwrites.com/blog/seth_godin_contridiction/comment-page-1/#comment-886 ShawnWood Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:33:41 +0000 http://shawnwoodwrites.com/?p=905#comment-886 I appreciate what your saying, but you kinda prove my point. People have started to translate "excellence" as "effective". That sign was 100% effective but not even close to excellent. Excellence would have been to have one professionally printed and done "right". If we simply define excellence as "effective" then I guess I can buy what you are selling, but that seems to then leave determining the value of excellence as a situational issue. I would just submit that in this case (and I honestly doubt that the driver was being as strategic as you think) a handmade sign was "good enough" BECAUSE it was more effective. I appreciate what your saying, but you kinda prove my point. People have started to translate “excellence” as “effective”. That sign was 100% effective but not even close to excellent. Excellence would have been to have one professionally printed and done “right”. If we simply define excellence as “effective” then I guess I can buy what you are selling, but that seems to then leave determining the value of excellence as a situational issue. I would just submit that in this case (and I honestly doubt that the driver was being as strategic as you think) a handmade sign was “good enough” BECAUSE it was more effective.

]]> By: Jeremy http://shawnwoodwrites.com/blog/seth_godin_contridiction/comment-page-1/#comment-885 Jeremy Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:27:56 +0000 http://shawnwoodwrites.com/?p=905#comment-885 I think you're misinterpreting what he meant in the post about the sign. It wasn't an example of doing just "good enough", it was excellence; excellence specifically crafted to look haphazard. The safety sign is handwritten to give it a human element and that goes a long way to connecting with people. It looks sloppy, but the strategy and execution are excellent. I think you’re misinterpreting what he meant in the post about the sign. It wasn’t an example of doing just “good enough”, it was excellence; excellence specifically crafted to look haphazard. The safety sign is handwritten to give it a human element and that goes a long way to connecting with people. It looks sloppy, but the strategy and execution are excellent.

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