Seth Godin argues that it is dangerous to put free on top of an existing business model and that you have to win by reinventing yourself.

In light of yesterday’s stunning announcement that Amazon had acquired Zappos for the sum of $807 million (plus), Seth Godin wonders what that deal actually means for Amazon, particularly when it’s clear that they already has plenty of shoes.
And while it’s hard to argue that eliminating the competition in one bold move is reason enough for the deal, Godin views things a bit differently, pointing to a number of valuable assets, many of which you can rarely buy for any price:
What you buy when you spend that kind of money is what matters now. And what matters is:

A corporate culture [...]

In his talk at TED this year, marketing guru and author Seth Godin wonders what we all do for a living. He suggests that what we do is that we try to change everything. We try to find a piece of the status quo and change it – and we try to make big, important, permanent change. By sharing examples from his (very good) book Tribes, he describes how we are living through a change in the way ideas are created and spread and that tribes that are fueling this change. So he argues that what we do for a [...]

Seth Godin writes about an interesting example of Red Coat Black Coat issues when a friend Googles potential housekeepers and finds all three applicants with less-than-hoped-for backgrounds or published opinions. Godin says that we need to overcome any negative stuff about us on the web by adding as much good stuff as possible:
The best plan is to overload Google with a long tail of good stuff and to always act as if you’re on Candid Camera, because you are.
Godin: Personal branding in the age of Google
PSFK: Privacy: Red Coat, Black Coat

In one of his latest blog pieces, Godin discusses one of the pressing topics of the day: ‘Is Marketing Evil?’ He says that it’s true that marketing does work – it makes people buy something that they might not have tried before – but that it would be better to ask the question ‘Are Marketers Evil?’ A question the marketing guru admits he would respond with a ‘Some of them’ answer:
I think it’s evil to persuade kids to start smoking, to cynically manipulate the electoral or political process, to lie to people in ways that cause disastrous side effects. I [...]