The Dawn of Idea DiffusionWelcome to a new era – the century of idea diffusion. For decades, the path to success seemed clear: advertise widely, interrupt people, gain distribution, sell products, and reinvest profits into more ads. This was the "TV-industrial complex," a model that informed generations. It worked by persistently exposing people to ads until they bought something.However, things have changed dramatically. This old model has been "cancelled". We live in a world where consumers are inundated with choices...

In the past, getting your idea out there meant buying advertisements, interrupting people's lives with your message, hoping that sheer repetition would lead to sales. This "TV-industrial complex" was the dominant strategy, creating a cycle where profits were funnelled back into more advertising to drive further sales. It led to situations like a brand manager spending £100 million trying to interrupt people with TV commercials, magazine ads, and spam. The fundamental shift is that this model no longer works. Consumers...

The key to success in this new landscape isn't about having the best patent or the most efficient factory; it's about whether you can get your idea to spread. And what makes an idea spread? It needs to be "remarkable". This isn't just about something being "neat"; it literally means "worth making a remark about". If it's not remarkable, it will be invisible, like the ordinary cow.Consider the example of sliced bread. Invented in the 1910s, it was a complete...

While being remarkable is crucial, you also need to know who to be remarkable for. The traditional approach of making "average products for average people" and trying to appeal to the "centre" of the market is no longer effective in a world where the old marketing complex is broken. Instead, the winning strategy is to market to the people who truly care.These are the individuals who are obsessed with something. They possess what's called "otaku" – a fantastic Japanese word...

To wrap up, here are some essential principles for getting your ideas to spread effectively in today's world:Design is free when you get to scale: People who create remarkable things often figure out how to leverage design to their advantage. Design isn't just aesthetics; it's about solving problems and making something worth noticing. Dutch Boy paint, for instance, became a fortune-making success by reinventing their paint can, making it remarkable, not by just adding new ads.The riskiest thing you can...

The age of interruptive, mass-market advertising is behind us. Success today isn't about shouting louder or reaching more people; it's about creating something truly remarkable – something worth talking about.By understanding that consumers don't care about your problems, but about their own interests and passions, you can shift your focus from broad, generic appeals to targeting those specific individuals with "otaku" – those who are obsessed and eager to share their discoveries. Embrace design, take calculated risks, and dare to...