For the second post in the series of revisiting the Brains on Fire book three years later, we’re taking a look at the first chapter/lesson: Movements Aren’t about the Product Conversation; They’re about the Passion Conversation.
In the previous post, I mentioned how the word, “movement” has been bastardized by the marketing industry. Well, I believe this to be even more true with the word, “passion.” Everyone these days is talking about the passion of their customers. They have to find it. To speak to it. To embrace it. But when you really sit down and have a conversation with that company, you come to realize that the vast majority of them are talking about finding people who are passionate about buying their product. And that’s where the whole thing falls apart.
The passion conversation is still a widely misunderstood topic in marketing. And that’s why we originally framed it against the product conversation. It’s not about your product or service. It’s about how that product or service connects someone to their passion. (We’ve talked about it before.) It’s brand as enabler. So it’s not about the scissors. It’s about what people do with the scissors, like create these amazing works of art to pass down from generation to generation. And it’s not about the car. It’s about how the car makes you feel when you drive it. Or how it becomes a supporting character in your life (like looking back and seeing it in the background of all those high school pictures). It is looking at passion from your customers standpoint. Not yours. Sure, some people will truly get excited about the widget you sell – and you should create programs specifically for them. But for the greater population, you have to listen and search for that true passion. And then make sure you can help them connect to it.
So three years later, the passion conversation is more important than ever. Especially as a starting point for your efforts. It is the true north star that everything should be built around. And it will always stand the test of time.