The TED Talks Model

$6,000 to attend, invitation only, and the best of is accessible to anyone with a computer and an online connection, for free. These are the TED talks. TED is for technology, entertainment, and design, and it stands for much more than that - the power to connect the world.

Call it inspiration, breakthroughs, information, innovation, storytelling, predictions, and many other things - what was and what's next is content. Delivered with passion and care by many of today's global top thinkers and doers.

An aside on the term "global." As an adjective, global means of the globe, literally. Associated with the noun "thinker" it means expansive, inclusive, who pushes the boundaries, works at the edges, connects, illuminates.

Want more value? How about the 200-page scrapbook Autodesk compiled of the 4-day event? Sketches, illustrations and idea maps of the talks are included in an easy-to-download PDF, indexed by speaker, topic and connections. Yes, Jill Bolte Taylor is there, too. Why did Autodesk go through the trouble of creating all this good content for free?

Autodesk is committed to fostering design innovation through technology as a means to solve many of today’s global problems, and believes that visualization allows for the conceptualization and collaboration of design solutions prior to the digital design process.

Would you use Autodesk as a result of their commitment to this conference and to the principles that allow the organization to provide value to you?

In addition to content, which has helped build its community, TED promotes two important assets - talent and resources. It supports those who are gifted to grant them one wish to change the world, which leads to collaborative initiatives with far-reaching impact.

The other two sponsors of TED Talks are BMW, stemming from the company's passion for technology and design, and Nokia, on the strength of its shared mission to connect people across the globe. These are not just "a word from your sponsor" situations, they are opportunities to join the conversation through shared values. I've touched upon this in many posts.

Through this partnership with TED, Autodesk, BMW and Nokia are not repurposing content, they are helping create anew. They are doing so for themselves (their values through products and services), and for you (free access to content and community). This is what we still call win/win, and/and, best of both worlds - or how about a better world for all?

I call this the TED Talk model because it is the "how" where I hope we can take marketing next. Think this can be implemented only by large companies with deep pockets? Think again. The only thing that stands between you and your opportunity is the willingness to seek and find - what your values and mission are, and your community - how you can go to market by context building. The first community a company has is that of its employees.

For BMW, it's sustainable mobility, which led also to the Club of Pioneers.   

For Nokia, it's connecting people around the globe, which led also to the collaboration with Pangea Day.

For you, it's ___________________ fill in the blank, today.

[still from video from Italy plays Tibet]

Comments

[Armando Alves]

Can you ellaborate more on the subject of not being only for "deep pockets", that is, on a small business scale, we should apply it to local events, grassroots, barcamps ?

I see it a bit like a chicken and egg problem: do companies look for events to sponsor with like-minded values? Or events set their core values and hope that sponsors come along?

The insight is nonetheless there: Brands should engage in a conversation and provide the tools to nurture that engagement.

[Valeria Maltoni]

Or maybe there is already a local community that is working on behalf of the people you are trying to reach.

To go back to TED, their evolution went hand in hand with BMW's involvement. they started something, which attracted some community. BMW helped fund a site. The event got bigger as the momentum picked up from the community and the company participated in creating the experience.

We have been used to talking about "the message" and how it should reach our target for so long, that it is really difficult to switch to thinking in terms of the conversation that is already taking place and how we can participate.