The problem with taking offense is that it's really hard to figure out what to do with it after you're done using it. Better to just leave it on the table and walk away. Umbrage untaken quietly disappears.
Seth GodinRead
A product for everyone rarely reaches much of anyone.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Focusing on a broad audience often results in a lack of impact on any specific group of people.
This quote by Seth Godin suggests that when a product is designed to appeal to everyone, it often fails to resonate deeply with anyone. By trying to satisfy every segment of the market, companies dilute their message and make it less compelling, ultimately sacrificing meaningful connections with specific target audiences for a diluted reach.
Themes
MarketingTarget AudienceProduct DesignFocusImpact
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a business presentation to emphasize the importance of niche marketing.
More from Seth Godin
All quotes →Not adding value is the same as taking it away.
Seth GodinRead
Excellence isn’t about meeting the spec, it’s about setting the spec. It defines what the consumer sees as quality right this minute, and tomorrow, if you’re good, you’ll reset that expectation again
Seth GodinRead
Living with doubt ... is almost always more profitable than living with certainty. _x000D_ People don't like doubt, so they pay money and give up opportunities to avoid it. _x000D_ Entrepreneurshi p is largely about living with doubt. If you need reassurance, you're giving up quite a bit to get it. On the other hand, if you can get in the habit of seeking out uncertainty, you'll have developed a great instinct.
Seth GodinRead
The danger of the Web is that you can go from idea to public announcement in under ten minutes.
Seth GodinRead
Art isn't only a painting. Art is anything that is creative, passionate and personal. Art is the unique work of a human being created to touch another. Art is created to have an impact, to change someone else.
Seth GodinRead
Similar quotes
Advertising has always been the 'head boy' of the communications industry, but not anymore. Now the rest - creative, digital, and media - is just as important.
Richard EdelmanRead
The work of an advertising agency is warmly and immediately human. It deals with human needs, wants, dreams and hopes. Its 'product' cannot be turned out on an assembly line.
Leo BurnettRead
Kodak sells film, but they don't advertise film; they advertise memories.
Theodore LevittRead
If a brand wants to build social communities, capital and influence, it must become the chief celebrant of its community, not its celebrity. This simple shift in approach unlocks enormous transformative potential for brands.
Simon MainwaringRead
Most ads are ignored because every customer has a mental filter that evaluates and dismisses both of these languages of Ad-Speak with a single question: What are they not telling me?
Roy H. WilliamsRead
There is no such thing as a good or bad ad in isolation. What is good at one moment is bad at another. Research can trap you into the past.
William BernbachRead