Just As Convenient
It’s just as convenient to buy from Nike as it is to buy from Adidas.
It’s just as convenient to watch I Love Lucy as it is Seinfeld.
And of course it’s just as convenient to listen to your music as it is The Beatles music.
When it’s all convenient it’s silly to try to make your thing more convenient.
As we market and sell our thing it’s important to make sure we’re trumpeting the aspects that will make a difference given the culture and markets around us.
»» And if you succeed marketing those aspects, will you like being known for that?
On The Way
The Smoky Mountains are a necessary part of driving from Nashville to Charlotte.
They’re not in the way. They’re on the way.
Similarly…
As you are en route to Charlotte, it doesn’t do any good to get mad at Knoxville for not being Charlotte.
Both metaphors hold up pretty well in whatever our journeys are.
»» But maybe the most important part of the metaphor is knowing you’re in Nashville and that Charlotte is your desired destination.
Getting Lunch
You show up to the lunch. The other person orders first and then it’s your turn. You say ‘nah, I’m not hungry, I’m good with water’.
What’s wrong with that? What’s the big deal? After all, you scheduled the lunch date in order to talk, so who cares whether you’re eating or not?
Sometimes you just need to order lunch. You’re getting lunch WITH someone. So ordering the lunch is more about the with than the lunch.
Why "Disco Sucks"
1979…
There was pop culture…only one.
There was radio…only a few stations per city.
There were tv performances…only three channels.
The advent of Disco Sucks was only possible because a lot of people who ended up not liking disco were forced to listen to disco…a lot.
We couldn’t have a new version Disco Sucks today because no one has to listen to anything they don’t like.
Fun vs. Impressive
It takes a long time to watch all the episodes in a tv series…so afterwards it’s fun to talk about it and tell other people.
But despite it being fun and emotional and tense…it isn’t impressive.
Similarly…
All the AI cover songs getting made right now, an Eminem song done in retro soul vibes, etc…they’re really fun to listen to…but it’s not impressive. The software is impressive, the human is not.