Flash of Genius: An Austin Marketing Consultant Allegory.

Have you ever seen the film Flash of Genius (2008)? Flash of Genius brings us a David v. Goliath death-match. Our hero, Robert Kearns, is an American inventor: his quest is to slay the Detroit automaker who stole his idea for the intermittent windshield wiper. His struggle and utter frustration stemmed from his dependence on the market of his potential competitor Ford Motor Company, aka Goliath. He thought his only market was to sell his idea to a big company. I wonder what would have happened if he would have had the internet marketing tools such as SEO, e-mail marketing, and social media marketing that level the playing field for companies big and small. Today, we use these tools as the ultimate “slingshot”, leveling giants and increasing volume for companies with unique selling points – entrepreneurs like Robert Kearns. What if in the 1960’s Kearns could have dropped his message in the lap of auto parts retailers all over the country? What if he could have had top of mind awareness for every car owner that had ever been through a rain storm through drip marketing (no pun intended)? What if he had a social buzz from customers that spanned the country and beyond? Ford would have met his terms. Why, you ask ? Ford would have met his price because of Kearns’ unique selling point and strategic marketing that spread his market to rival their own. Think of the viral nature of YouTube and Facebook. Both of these companies received huge offers from Google because of their USP and strategic marketing, that positioned them to get the offer. How about your company? What is the market position you have? Are you satisfied with the market share you own?