subject: How You Can Rule The World Through Empowered Public Relations [print this page] think they do--as soon as HuffingtonPost doesthink they do--as soon as HuffingtonPost does. So our new world order is all about perception--what people think is true, and think they should do about it. Based on how they are positioned by their content environment.
If you want to get into college, make a fortune, sell your business, or rule your corner of the planet, youll have to get in the perception business. Youll have to power how people think about you.
How will you do that?
When Alexander the Great conquered the known world, things were different. To consolidate his power, he founded 20 cities and made half a dozen political marriages. Ruling the world was a physical business--you left your seed and your city state behind to represent your status. Most people didnt read, but they knew what they saw or touched.
Today, ruling is lot less about your physical mark and more about your psychological one. The worlds largest community is arguably Facebook, not a political empire. And tomorrow, it could be something else. Money and ideas rise and fall thanks not to a rulers DNA, but digital DNA--the faster-than-light stuff of thoughts. If you want to rule today, you have to rule hearts and minds. There is real power in controlling behavior. Online behavior may be the most powerful behavior we have invented yet. And to own it, you focus not on the physical reality, but on the reality of peoples minds. There, all is open for experience, and the new ruler can enter an era of constant conquest, and potentially constant victory.
Who are some of our modern conquerors? We dont have to look any further than some of our most successful politicians--traditional ruler types like Obama--and entertainers like Beyonce or Lady Gaga. Whats also interesting, though, is that even us normal types have the opportunity to rule our worlds these days. If youve ever heard someone chuckle over being Mayor of their local Starbucks on Foursquare, or mention how they will activate their Twitter followers on a key issue, you are hearing a local ruler waxing large.
The truth is, ruling the world is more attainable than ever. Alexander had to inherit a massive army and dedicate his life to it, and he only got as far as the known world. We are still feeling the impact of the era of Hellenism he created in his short 33 years. How much MORE influential can you be?
Consider that the most famous English language writer of all time was Shakespeare, but he was famous in his lifetime only in and around London. While his fame slowly grew, and today hes taught the world over, in his day his work was performed in a mainly illiterate time from just a few stages. It took generations for Shakespeare to be recognized. For you to be recognized can take minutes. Rather fun to think about, isnt it?
We live in a time where the Harvard Business Review speaks of the English language becoming effectively the new lingua franca of the worlda business language relied on by French companies, Japanese companies, Chinese companies and more. Nokia, Renault, Daimler, Samsung, and SAP all number among non-English native firms that have embraced a one language policy. 1.75 billion people speak English. Literacy and English fluency are so far spread one in four people speaks English in this world. That ratio is only getting better. This means your thoughts have a wider audience than ever possible in a new media firm (Citation: Harvard Business Review May 2012, p 117, Why You Need a One Language Strategy.)
But if the audience is literally billions of times larger than it was in the time of a Shakespeare, a Voltaire, a Neitzche or a Thoreauall thinkers with a profound impactand so is the speed at which you can reach them. Im sure youve heard the factoid that Facebook, if it were a country, would be the largest country in the world. And as I write this, YouTube, where people post pieces of their own life or creative tidbits theyve contrived, is the second largest search engine. Who knows what tomorrow brings, but remaining technologically agnostic, I can still safely say your distribution network is only bettering itself like in a social media advertising agency.
Even a hundred years ago, the process of writing a lasting work, or filming a work, was onerous and took long months if not years. Now, you can speak directly to your camera on your portable device, and speak to the world or ask for help in a PR agency. A couple of weeks ago, one of our clients--Tim McMullen of redpepper to be specific--had a media pitch we released for him regarding a Facebook integrated technology to totally viral. He was being covered in Korea--thats how nuts this got. When CNN wanted to interview him, they did it over a high definition Skype. You dont have to go down to the news room any more.
So pick your area--and create your perceptions. Wed love to hear how its going @write2market.
