Monday, June 18, 2007

What I Learned from Paul Potts - Roundup

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know that I've been following the Paul Potts / Britain's Got Talent phenomenon over the course of the last week. It all wrapped up earlier this evening with the final performances and the tallying of the votes.

In a nod to the fact that good things do in fact happen to good people, Paul Potts was selected as the winner. Here's a video recap of the finalists, the decision and Paul's encore performance.

If you're reading this in a feedreader, the video can be found here.

At the risk of getting completely Potted on this blog, I'll wrap up this series by enumerating the lessons that I've learned after watching these videos over the last week:

Assumptions can limit your creative output
It's okay to take risks
Know your audience and connect with them on an emotional level
Exceed expectations
When we're constantly hit over the head with polished, branded, uber-cool ads, campaigns and come-ons, it's refreshing to see a down-to-earth, humble approach. It gets more attention.

I hope you've enjoyed this series as much as I have; I know that original video still stands in my mind as one of the most remarkable I've ever seen. I wish Paul the best in his newfound career. Here's hoping that we can all achieve the same level of success, either personally or professionally.

Labels: fun, news, Paul Potts, Video

Posted by Scott Monty at 12:05 AM

Comments |

LINKS TO THIS POST |

Comments:

At 6/18/2007 12:48 AM, CK said...: Truly this series has made my (weepy) week. There are so many lessons to learn from Paul and lessons that I believe won't long be forgotten...that's what happens when you engage hearts (and minds).

"Precious" is the best word I can use to describe the Paul story. And yup, I'll be buying his albums and iTunes (and nope, I wasn't an opera fan before). That confetti at the end raining all around him was epic.
At 6/18/2007 1:19 AM, CK said...: ...do think it's vital to add one thing when we're talking lessons: a victory like "Paul" can't be manufactured in some marketing lab. Completely and utterly authentic--so the lesson becomes "open your eyes/minds" and look "in other places" for brilliance/brilliant ideas.
At 6/18/2007 12:19 PM, BobG said...: I'm with you on the first video, Scott - still gives me chicken skin. And what great lessons for all of us. His story far exceeds, on an emotional level, anything to come across reality TV land...ever!

Let's hope he gets everything he wishes. I'm curious to see how "sticky" opera singing can become.
At 6/19/2007 6:00 PM, Laura Athavale Fitton said...: Thanks for 'covering' this Scott, it has been such an amazing story, and I definitely 'heard it here first.'
At 6/19/2007 10:47 PM, Mark Goren said...: Thanks so much for following this amazing story, Scott. I think it really comes down to one fundamental thing: everyone loves a good story.

People who don't care for opera or ever listen to it will be buying his music based on the story alone.

Great series, Scott. Thanks again.
At 6/19/2007 11:54 PM, Scott said...: It's been my pleasure to share this success story. I hope it inspires others to do the things that bring them satisfaction.
At 6/27/2007 12:16 PM, kevin green said...: Last time I go away for a week... it's so hard to catch up on everything. This is a great story and thank you for covering it all the way through.

blog comments powered by Disqus

Home

About Scott

For hi-res, click here

The best way to describe Scott is "Renaissance Man." Friends and colleagues that know Scott from one facet of his life are very frequently surprised to learn of his interests and talents in other areas.

Scott is a marketing and communications professional focused on the digital industry — specifically on social media. His career spans a number of industries such as healthcare, pharma, biotech, travel, automotive, tech, and communications, and includes a wide range of clients, from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies.

Currently on the staff of corporate communications in Ford Motor Company, Scott heads up the social media function and holds the title Global Digital & Multimedia Communications Manager. He is a strategic advisor on all social media activities across the company, from blogger relations to marketing support, customer service to internal communications and more, as social media is being integrated into many facets of Ford business.

Prior to joining Ford, Scott served as Consigliere for crayon and spent a number of years with PJA Advertising + Marketing, a boutique BtoB agency specializing in health sciences & high tech.

In addition to his consulting and agency background, Scott is an active blogger and podcaster. He writes about the intersection of advertising, marketing and PR at The Social Media Marketing Blog and also writes The Baker Street Blog, a literary undertaking. Scott has been featured in numerous news and business publications, on a variety of podcasts, and on national television. Scott is a recognized thought leader in the social media industry and frequently speaks at industry events.

Scott received his Master's in Medical Science from Boston University's School of Medicine concurrently with his MBA from BU's Graduate School of Management. He lives in the greater Detroit area with his wife and two young sons, golfs all too infrequently, and has a hidden talent for voice over work.

Oh, and one last little-known fact: Scott coined the term "tweetup."

You may download a headshot here, courtesy of C.C. Chapman and a PDF version of Scott's bio here.

Books in which Scott's work is featured:
The New Rules of Marketing & PR
Twitterville
Six Pixels of Separation
Monkeys with Typewriters
Read This First
World Wide Rave
Get Seen

Disclosures/Relationships

Scott is on the Advisory board of SavvyAuntie
Scott is on the Advisory board of Business Smart Tools
Scott is a judge for the SAMMY Awards
Scott is on the Advisory board of The Hive Awards
Named one of iMedia's 25 Top Internet Marketing Leaders & Innovators
This blog's content is also syndicated on Social Media Today
Plaid occasionally does web work for me and designed this site
No animals were harmed in the making of this blog.

Speaking Events

Scott speaks on social media at events, seminars and conferences around the world. His topic generally focuses on corporate use of social media, becoming an online spokesperson, and specifically on the progress that Ford has made in the recent past. If you're interested in booking Scott to speak at your event, please send an email to speaking [AT] scottmonty [DOT] com. Scott's bio and headshot can be found in the "About Scott" tab above.

Some previous engagements include:

BlogWell - How Big Companies Use Social Media - Minneapolis - August 13

Who is Scott Monty?

Hi, I'm Scott. I'm the head of social media for Ford Motor Company. This is my personal blog, where I share my perspectives on social media - the convergence of marketing, advertising and PR on the Web - for marketers, agencies, the enterprise and the individual. This blog contains my personal views.