Click Consult reviews the top 10 most viewed marketing TED talks

TED boasts that they are about ‘ideas worth spreading’ – and, at Click Consult, we have to agree. With such an abundance of material, however, it can be tough to know where to start. That’s why we’ve put together a guide to the most watched marketing TED talks.

10. Bitcoin. Sweat. Tide. Meet the Future of Branded Currency – Paul Kemp-Robertson (955,624 views)

Review: Featuring an overview of some of the best performing crypto-currencies, Kemp-Robertson’s talk makes a clear case for trust as a driving force behind not only currencies, but also economies and brands. While trust is plummeting in banks and governments, brands people care about are gaining trust as are ‘people like me’ (generically speaking). A really useful talk on the importance of trust in the economy of the future.

Message: Brands stand or fall by reputations built on trust, consistency and transparency.

9. Beware Neuro-Bunk – Molly Crocket (1,139,071 views)

Review: Mostly related to marketing in a tangential sense, neuroscientist Molly Crocket’s talk details the several misleading conclusions that were inferred from her study into serotonin’s effect on decision making. By walking the watcher through the process of experiment to headline, Crocket demonstrates how wary marketers should be about leaping to the wrong conclusions.

Message: Oversimplification of data can be dangerous not only to your brand but your consumers as a result (or, if you want to sell it, put a brain on it).

8. What Physics Taught Me About Marketing – Dan Cobley (1,243,252 views)

Review: Nicely and humorously blending core physics laws and marketing, Cobley explains why umbrella companies retain smaller, more agile and compartmentalised branding varieties as not only are they are far easier to reposition, but also far less likely to impact the main brand name during any period of negative brand responses.

Message: Small is agile, bigger brands are more difficult to reposition – so get it right.

7. 404, The Story of a Page Not Found – Renny Gleeson (1,103,214 views)

Review: 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 is technically, but how it feels as a consumer and what messages they send. Renny Gleeson does a fantastic job of arguing for the personalisation of 404 pages.

Message: Little things, done right, matter.

6. The Secret Sneaker Market – and Why it Matters – Josh Luber (1,500,661 views)

Review: In a theme which recurs in many of the top viewed marketing videos, Josh Luber discusses how the creation of ‘sneakerheads’ may well have saved one of the largest sportswear brands: Nike. A man with a clear obsession for ‘sneakers’, Luber – whose company collects and analyses data about trainer trading – explains how this was achieved by targeting niches with a passion, such as the ‘sneakerhead’, to turn them into brand ambassadors.

Message: Passionate consumers can make the difference.

5. The Tribes We Lead – Seth Godin (1,704,897 views)

Review: In the first of his two appearances in this list, Seth Godin discusses how an end to ‘mass market appeal’ through traditional marketing is leading to a rediscovery of one of human society’s oldest incarnations: ‘tribes’. The rise of the thought leader culture, he says, is giving rise to bespoke advertisement and even individuated products and bringing tribes back through the internet’s power of connection.

Message: The internet has ended mass marketing and given us a world of globe-spanning tribes.

4. How to Make Choosing Easier – Sheena Lyengar (2,009,094 views)

Review: Sheena Lyengar uses her TED talk to discuss ‘choice overload’ using some fantastic and rigorous research to demonstrate that increasing the number of options do not necessarily equate to increased purchasing. Though dealing predominately with investment funds, her discussion of the ‘choice overload’ problem provides much food for thought for any marketer.

Message: Choice overload reduces engagement, decision quality and, ultimately, satisfaction.

3. How to Get Your Ideas to Spread – Seth Godin (4,678,451 views)

Review: Seth Godin’s talk explains that as traditional media’s power of influence wanes in a world with innumerable options and too little time, that marketers need to focus their efforts and time on the creation of the ‘remarkable’. No longer, he explains, is it the best bet to appeal to the centre ground but to appeal to those consumers with otaku (an obsession), and allow them to spread your ideas for you.

Message: Ideas that spread, win.

2. How to Start a Movement – Derek Sivers (5,350,801 views)

Review: Siver’s How to Start a Movement is a fantastic mini-talk that allows you to witness the beginning of and flourishing of a movement in real-time, making the point that leadership is always about nurturing relationships, but how sometimes leadership can also be about following.

Message: The first follower is what turns a lone nut into a leader.

1. Choice, Happiness and Spaghetti Sauce – Malcolm Gladwell (6,085,604 views)

Review: Using an allegory about pasta sauce, Malcom Gladwell makes an impressive case for letting data drive marketing and product development decisions. Touching on the point that, while consumers are each individuals, they often fall into categories he also offers the idea that choosing the most popular does not necessarily give you the best results, but that by trying to fully understand consumers we can cater to desires that aren’t even reported.

Message: Embracing individuality is the surest way to true happiness.

The top 5 of these marketing TED talks are available for download as part of a presentation on slideshare.