Seth Godin Archives In the pages of Fast Company, Seth Godin wrote about creative forms of marketing and being an agent of change. Here we collect his articles.

Articles by Seth Godin

2004

• French Hours
  With "French Hours," you can boost efficiency -- and eat all the croissants you want.
• Rules for Off-Roading at Work
  Going off-road? Go way off-road.
• Bull Market 2004
  In an excerpt from his new book, Free Prize Inside!, Seth Godin shows how anyone can champion new ideas.
• Send in the Clowns
  When it comes to the health of your company, it's time to stop clowning around.
• If It's Urgent, Ignore It
  Smart organizations ignore the urgent and focus on the important.
• How to Give Feedback
  Give great feedback! Most people don't. Here are four rules for making your input count.
• The L Factor
  What accounts for success and failure? More often than you might think, it's just luck. But like most things, luck can be managed.
• You Are Your References
  References don't matter now that everybody's life is on the public record.

2003

• The Scarcity Shortage
  In a world of knockoffs, scarcity is in short supply. Bank on it.
• The Blog of Things To Come
  Joi Ito is using his Weblog to put his virtual organization into action.
• If It's Broke, Fix It
  Put yourself in your customers' shoes, see what's broken about what you do, and fix it.
• Contempt of Consumer: It's a Real Crime
  Cutting corners through disrespectful marketing can cost you millions in long-term profits.
• There is No Corporate Privacy, and That's a Good Thing.
  A few decades ago, we discovered that quality is free. Turns out, the new move toward transparency is also free and can be profitable too.
• The Threat of Pigeons and Other Fundamentalists
  You can train a pigeon to be superstitious by faking a cause-and-effect relationship. But what happens when your boss starts to think like a pigeon?
• What Did You Do During the 2000s?
  Hindsight is 20/20. People are already looking back on the 1990s and wishing that they had had more courage. When you look back on the 2000s, what will you have to say for yourself?
• "Slowly I Turned...Step by Step...Inch by Inch..."
  What's the best way to build a great company, launch a new product, or advance your own career? Try this chili recipe: Low and slow makes for maximum flavor.
• A Brief History of Hard Work, Adjusted for Risk
  The meaning of hard work in a manual economy is clear. Those days are long gone.
• Marketing Plan for a Marketing Book
  Seth Godin creates a unique marketing plan for his book "The Purple Cow."
• In Praise of the Purple Cow
  Remarkably honest ideas (and remarkably useful case studies) about making and marketing remarkable products.

2002

• Memo to: Media Monopolists
  And you thought moguls had it made? Turns out, trying to hang on to a monopoly these days is enough to make anyone miserable, even Rupert, Michael, and Sumner. We feel their pain -- and offer some help.
• Survival Is Not Enough
  Hey, it's a jungle out there! So if you want to win, do more than embrace change -- learn how to evolve.

2001

• Change Agent - Issue 53
  Faith and passion define the battle for the future: The same things that make the economy go make the country go.
• Change Agent - Issue 52
  What does it mean to be fast? Our columnist empties his mail bag -- and posts the answers.
• Change Agent - Issue 51
  Big companies and the Web are draining the civility out of business. Are you ready to embrace accountability and sacrifice anonymity?
• Change Agent - Issue 50
  Sadly, the future ain't what it used to be. We've gotten used to smaller dreams and closer reality. Here's to unreachable goals!
• Change Agent - Issue 49
  The best part of shopping on the Web is one-click shopping on Amazon.
• Change Agent - Issue 48
  When it comes to food, music, and more, which do you prefer: ubiquity or authenticity?
• Change Agent - Issue 47
  There is no correlation at all between success and hours worked.
• Change Agent - Issue 46
  The new culture of criticism is hurting you and your company.
• Change Agent - Issue 45
  That wedding dress is the wrapper on your wedding day.

2000

• Change Agent - Issue 41
  Why are we willing to tolerate bullies?
• Change Agent - Issue 40
  Are you built to grow?
• Change Agent - Issue 39
  Gear shops are no longer the engine of our economy.
• Change Agent - Issue 38
  The core curriculum at business schools is as close to irrelevant as you can imagine.
• Change Agent - Issue 37
  You want policies? You can't handle these policies!
• Unleash Your Ideavirus
  Here's a big idea: Ideas are driving the economy. Here's a bigger idea: Ideas that spread fastest win.
• What's in a Meme?
  Maybe a lot -- if information truly evolves the same way life does, we're headed toward a brave new world of marketing.
• Change Agent - Issue 36
  Looking for a poster child for old-economy industries that are stuck in the headlights?
• Change Agent - Issue 35
  Most torch-bearers don't realize how unique they are, how powerful their role is, or how hard their task is.
• Change Agent - Issue 34
  The fact is, the wild oscillations in our business life will continue to get wilder and wilder, probably forever.
• Change Agent - Issue 33
  Does clinging to an occupation make you better at your job?
• Change Agent - Issue 32
  Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, my mom -- and now you -- have shared the secret of rifting.
• Change Agent - Issue 31
  In the face of change, the competent are helpless.

1999

• Change Agent - Issue 30
  Is it possible to create a "maybe-proof" company?
• Change Agent - Issue 29
  Why is it that the really obvious chances to improve our businesses and careers almost always pass us by?
• Change Agent - Issue 28
  Guillotine or Rack?