Change seems to be the word that is the center of my life nowadays. Well let’s just say, personally and professionally, all that was, is no longer there! I’ve recently resigned from my job, started my own business, handling a million projects, moved countries … so Change might be the understatement of the century in my book. However, I won’t bore you with my life, I’m interested in the word change in the our business world – more precisely the marketing realm!
In that world, change, to many, is still a dirty world. People in general fear change and avoid venturing into the unknown because of that fear – I say embrace that fear and let it be your drive. Change is inevitable, so you better make the best of it, otherwise the fear will consume you! The biggest change, at least in my region of the world, is trying to embrace social media as an effective marketing tool. Marketing has escalated from an age of catering to needs, and imposition, to an age of engagement and transparency. The problem lies in the latter! In a region renowned for discretion and secrecy, how can you possibly expect them to embrace the transparency imposed by social media. In a recent pitch to Subway by one of the most reputable agencies, the focus was on social media and viral marketing. In short, all we need to do is engage the consumers and embrace their lifestyle, and they would do the rest. They were the marketing campaign! They made would have made it viral! I’m using the past tense, because the pitch did not go through since the board refused to leave the brand in the hands of the consumers! They wanted TV, Radio, Billboards, … the big stuff – they still wanted to preach to the consumers! We have been living in the age of information for quite sometime, so the consumer cannot simply accept the information you present to them. They have their own source of information, which can be summed up in a 3 words: word of mouth, others call it word of mouse, I call it: World 3.0!
But why did the board turn down this incredible pitch? CHANGE is still a dirty word! Accepting it (the pitch), would have meant that they had to move away from their comfort zone, the traditional world of mass advertising, the world of Bigger is better, the more money we spent the better! Here’s a wake up call – it doesn’t work that way anymore! Personalization and Engagement are key! Social media offer companies that combination at relatively minimal costs.
Change is NOT a dirty word – we have made it so. We have created this fear. We think of change as a venture into the unknown, a world of uncertainty, possibly associated with pain and loss, exposing oneself, anxiousness – we have created such anchors and we convince ourselves that we need to overcome them! Here’s my view, why overcome when you can completely eradicate it. It does not exist unless you want it to! I think trying to overcome the fear of change only makes matters worse. Without sounding too cliché, why not simply look at change positively – here’s are the words i associate with it: excitement, potential, higher returns, promising, a drive to success, a new world with infinite possibilities, a fresh start, and last but not least, an opportunity. If you look at change from my angle, you are bound to succeed.
A company/individual has to be ready for that change. There are excellent examples in Seth Godin’s book – Meatball Sundae. A lot of people take the leap without warming up, and they might strain themselves! So I am definitely for planning change, but don’t delve into it, yo might miss out on it! Don’t make planning another excuse for the fear of change. A good example of that is Duke Nukem 3D is a first-person shooter computer game developed by3D Realms and published by Apogee Software. It was released on January 29, 1996 for the PC. That game was very successful and the company kept planning the release of the sequel for ages. Guess what, we’re still waiting! They missed it!
A very nice book to read about change is one you have probably come across many time – Who Moved My Cheese? by Johnson Spencer. It is the story of four characters living in a “Maze” who face unexpected change when they discover their “Cheese” has disappeared. Sniff and Scurry, who are mice, and Hem and Haw, little people the size of mice, each adapt to change in their “Maze” differently. In fact, one doesn’t adapt at all…
I could go on talking about change forever … don’t worry, I won’t! In conclusion, I ask you to embrace the opportunities presented by change! The only thing holding you back is YOU, Think About It!
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John,
Nice post! Change is something that most people fear and some people outright hate. I think attaching positive words and feelings with change is a great idea. Unless we change our attitude on change we will not grow personally or professionally. I put personal ahead of professional, because it all starts with you. How you grow personally has a direct result on how you grow professionally.
Thank you John,
It is a great article, and I enjoyed it.
I’m glad that you are dealing with the change with positive notion; I grew up in Lebanon, and attending college in Ohio, before moving to Texas to finish college, and work as Environmental Health Specialist, so just like you I have dealt with change with a positive notion.
As matter of fact, I reside in a country that our president was elected to the office in a promise of change. That being said, Change is a great way to move forward instead of backward. I notice that big corporation and small businesses are not ready for the change that the world is experiencing, they still want to market as they did in 19th century which is insane, they simply do not get it.
Social media changed the way people live, and if business want to survive and thrive, they better change, I will be giving a speech about that very soon about the subject, and I will let you know how that goes, I will be meeting with business owners around Dallas area and ask them questions.
Please follow me on Twitter @LuayRahil
I was just going to mention ‘Who Moved my Cheese’ when i figured that you already did!
“If your cheese has moved, just move with it”…
Sniff and Scurry are the best thing that one can be; they are simply me Today. Undescribable feeling of optimism toward the future, and the nbr of opportunities you can seek when you accept to live the change. I love your sentence that i will definitely remember “…embrace that fear and let it be your driver”
Cheers!
The only thing holding you back is YOU > not always!
Great post John.
Change must be embraced. Those who don’t change with the times will be left behind wondering what happened. We must embrace new technologies, new policies and new cultures. Change does not necessarily mean for the better or worse. Change means progress. Change is having a better future while carrying the best of the past.
The Middle East is changing. I think it’s finally beginning to embrace change.
Like you said, Change is not a dirty word, and change is all relative.
If its change for the worse, we learn from it and change again.
If its change, we embrace it and continue progressing.
Dear John,
I find your post very interesting.
Change, to most, means moving from a known area to an unknown one. With change comes moving away from our comfort zone. This zone is where everything we know, are familiar with and can do with ease lies. Moving away from that can trigger a stressful feeling of discomfort and anxiety, which in turn leads us to switch to a flight or fight mode. We become resistant and defensive and begin to find all possible excuses as to why we should not embrace change. This is where the “the only thing holding you back is YOU” comes in. We NEED change in order to grow and succeed. This feeling of discomfort is actually a positive sign, because it is concrete proof of our growth. Undertaking new adventures, such as you have recently only goes to show your expansion. Taking that leap of faith despite the fear of the unknown is what differentiates the successful people from those who are not.
john,
When i first met you, i knew that your one of those people who are a source of inspiration.
i can barely remember the night we met (and i am really honored to meet you), you told me about facing our own fears and go for changes in our life, even told me about your personal experience in work just to show me how important the “change” is
Your words really left a trace in me, taught me that life is full of adventures and risky experiences.
Never underestimate ourselves, never be scared, let’s just pursue our dreams in order to break our own fears and achieve our goals
Alexander Graham Bell had said, “what is this power I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it.”
Change is not a “dirty word”.
change starts with the decision to go for the goal, to make a commitment, change helps us to overcome the obstacles on the way to our goals!
Change helps us making our mind and add meaning to our life!.
thank you John, God bless you