TED talks and conferences inspire and intrigue listeners with “ideas worth sharing”. Psychology, education, innovation, activism, and even marketing, are just a number of topics that are discussed on a stage quite literally, set for the world. Their slogan truly speaks for itself as influencers and experts come up with fascinating and out-of-the-box topics to pique the interest of their audience, challenging them to discover something new or change how they view a certain topic. We’ve curated a list of TED talks apt for marketers and non-marketers alike. These short videos share current marketing best practices and creative strategies that can rev up not just your marketing, but also impact organisational decisions. If you’re just looking for something to watch on weekends, trust us when we say: you will be inspired.

1. Malcolm Gladwell: Choice, Happiness and Spaghetti Sauce

Using a story about pasta sauce, Malcolm Gladwell presents an amazing defense for giving information a chance to drive marketing and product development. Addressing the point that, while buyers are different, they frequently fall into categories. He offers that picking the most popular does not really give you the best outcomes. However, by attempting to completely understand customers, we can cater to desires that aren’t even reported.

2. Andrew Stanton: Clues to a Great Story

Andrew Stanton, an Oscar-winning film producer, uses elements of some of his most well-known films to share his expert insight on storytelling. Stanton’s advice teaches us about the elements that are important to whether you fail or succeed at engaging your audience. As he poses in regard to storytelling, so it is true in marketing: You should know and recognize your goal before you start creating the story of your project. See what he’s found out about the benefit of beginning toward the end and working your way back to the start, and you’ll leave with some new thoughts that could be essential to pushing your brand ahead and connecting it more fully to your network.

3. Manoush Zomorodi: How Boredom Can Lead to Your Most Brilliant Ideas

Our digital lives have nearly eradicated the presence of boredom and prompt us to fill the empty spaces of our days with time spent scrolling through Twitter, checking email, or bookmarking new recipes from our smartphones. Hear insights from prominent neuroscientists and psychologists as Zomorodi investigates these thoughts further as she questions the potential consequences our chaotic lives can have on our creativity.

4. Josh Luber: The Secret Sneaker Market and Why It Matters

In this talk, Josh Luber examines how the formation of ‘sneakerheads’ may well have saved one of the biggest sportswear brands: Nike. A man with an unmistakable fixation for ‘sneakers’, Luber – whose company gathers and examines data about trainer trading – clarifies how this was accomplished by focusing on specialities with a passion, for example, the ‘sneakerhead’, to transform them into brand ambassadors. 

5. Seth Godin: Step by step instructions to Get Your Ideas to Spread 

Seth Godin’s talk clarifies that as traditional media’s capacity of impact winds down in a world with innumerable choices, that advertisers need to concentrate their endeavours and time on the formation of the ‘exceptional’. Never again, he clarifies, is it best to appeal to the center-ground but to appeal to those customers with an obsession, and enable them to spread your thoughts for you. 

6. Renny Gleeson: 404, The Story of a Page Not Found 

404, The Story of a Page Not Found is a short and amusing talk which does a fantastic job of explaining not only what the 404 page means technically, but how it feels like a consumer and what messages they send. In this four-minute talk, Gleeson looks at the littlest details and encounters on our web stages. He does a fantastic job of arguing for the personalisation of 404 pages through a particular story depicting a random online encounter that he had in that regard.

7. Derek Sivers: How to Start a Movement 

Siver’s How to Start a Movement is a fabulous small scale talk that enables you to observe the start of and prospering of a movement continuously, pointing out that leadership is constantly about nurturing relationships, however how some of the time leadership can also mean following. 

We believe that the above talks will cause you to reflect upon what you’re doing currently that works and what you can do to improve upon the part that doesn’t seem to work in your marketing strategies. Have you watched any of the above videos or do you have other videos you’d recommend in addition to our list? Let us know what you think below!

The Tribe of Brands team can help you stay on top of trends to effectively navigates the complex waters of the internet. Our marketing agency can help you with further ideas of how to design world-class websites, seamless user journeys and digital marketing campaigns.