Market Verb Newsletter 25 (Apr 09-Apr 15)

Part 1 — Marketing Tip / Style

Simplicity in the Product

This strategy is most famously used by the tech giant Apple Inc.. It strips away distractions and removes things that don’t matter. In many cases, complexity is hidden behind the professional simplicity we know and love. Apple is widely recognized for doing this exceptionally well.

The clean aesthetic that accompanies its products creates a sense of professionalism even before using the product itself.

Part 2 — Brand Story

The Failed Dating Idea of YouTube

The original concept for YouTube wasn’t about cat videos or entertainment. It was something much more romantic.

When Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim started YouTube, the idea wasn’t purely entertainment. The platform was initially meant for women and men to post videos introducing themselves — a very different approach compared to traditional dating apps.

However, the concept failed.

YouTube became so desperate that they released an advertisement stating that any woman who posted a video introducing herself would be paid $20. Even after that, no one uploaded such videos.

Instead, people began posting random content — cats, everyday moments, and casual clips. Surprisingly, this became a massive hit.

And the rest is history.

Part 3 — Two Great Books

Insanely Simple – by Ken Segall

Successful companies succeed by making simplicity the main goal in every decision.

Hyperefficient – by Mithu Storoni

Success comes from disciplined effort, a systematic life, and the elimination of unnecessary actions.

Part 4: Two Great Voices

“In the long arc of time, you are only relevant if customers love you.”—Tim Cook, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Apple Inc.

“We never talk about market share. If others are doing the same thing, why are we doing it?”. —Jensen Huang, co-founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NVIDIA Corporation

Part 5 — This Week’s Actionable

Create a challenge not for your audience, but for your employees.

Design a challenge that runs for three months. At the end of each month, provide a monetary prize. It can be based on a list of measurable metrics that employees must achieve within the three-month period.

The reward can be small or large — ideally between ₹1,000 and ₹7,500 or more.

At the end of the challenge, publicly recognize the winners.

This is also an excellent way to identify who is truly contributing to the organization. If someone consistently fails to achieve the targets for a long period of time, it becomes clear that they may not be the right fit for the team.