Inception is the best film I’ve seen in many a while.  By what standard?  This – unlike others, it stuck in my mind far beyond the two minute walk from cinema to car on way home.  In fact, for the first week after I watched it, images from it frequented my head (although thankfully not my dreams).

I pestered people at work with the question, “What is the most resilient virus?”

Getting something to stick in someone’s mind is, of course, what the film is all about.  At least I think so.  But according to those with higher brows than mine, Inception is really about video gaming, or the shared dream of watching a movie.  Maybe.  But for me, when I saw it, one word shot through my head unbidden: marketing.  IMHO Inception is all about how to persuade others to alter their behaviour by planting  the seed of an idea into their subconscious.

The whole movie is a marketing lesson wrapped up in a film plot.  Some have likened it to a heist film, in which a team of thieves forge an elaborate plan for stealing an item(s) of value.  So according to this view Inception is a cross between The Italian Job or The Inside Man with a twist of The Matrix for sci-fi effect.  But remember - a heist is the opposite of what inception is all about.  Here, our team is hired to put something in, not take something out.

And what is it they have to place in the vault of their mark’s mind?

Cobb: What’s the most resilient parasite? An idea. A single idea from the human mind can build cities. An idea can transform the world and rewrite all the rules.

Isn’t planting an idea in someone’s mind the very essence of what marketing seeks to achieve?  And how are they going to perform this feat?

Eames: If we are gonna perform Inception then we need imagination.

Imagination is the key.  Yes, you have the strategy, the segmentation, the statistics, the sales techniques, and all the other tools of the modern marketing process.  But, finally, marketing is an act of creation by which you try to implant an idea of product value in the mind of potential customers/clients.

Inception gives us some tips on how this is best achieved.

Cobb: You see, I think negative emotions are always trumped by positive emotions.
Eames: You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.
Cobb: Never recreate from your memory. Always imagine new places.

I could write a paragraph on each of these.  But it might be best if I left it to you to tease out the marketing implications for yourselves.  Go on – exercise your own imagination!

A final word on the film.  DiCaprio was in serious danger of being outshone by two of his team: Joseph Gorden-Levitt as Arthur and British actor Tom Hardy as Eames were superb.  And if you’d like a single visual represention of the whole plot in one glance try this.

Has this post planted a virus in your mind?

Image credit: cuttlefish.

Following a request from a group of business people in Omagh, we are holding a seminar in the South West College on 14 June.  This seminar has been run several times before, mainly in the Belfast area.  Comments are always positive.  Here are some recent responses:

“Had all relevant aspects explained and plenty of opportunity to ask questions.”  Kerry Smyth, Knowledge Transfer Centre, QUB

“I went to a Social Media Workshop run by Dawn from Sensei last week in Antrim. Dawn managed to condense a huge subject into a very simple, easy to follow and interactive presentation. There were people there who didn’t have a clue about social networking. There was a lot of excitement in the room and there were many questions about the possibilities. Dawn was very calm and professional and managed to keep people interested throughout. I would have no hesitation in recommending Dawn to run courses for my company or anyone else’s for that matter. Very pleased. (First published on Lookaly).”  Dean Langasco, I Love Mondays

Who Should Attend?

This session is for anyone who wants to gain a quick-fire overview of what social media is and how it can be incorporated into a business marketing and networking strategy.   It is most suitable for those who are new to online marketing, or those in the very early stages.

Results

This seminar will help you to:

• Understand the benefits and meaning behind the jargon and hype
• Know what to do to establish a professional online profile
• Access relevant industry information and local business assistance
• Keep in touch with your customers to encourage repeat sales
• Network more effectively with other SMEs

Thanks to South West College, Omagh, who are hosting this event.

A similar event will be held in Limavady.

I delivered this presentation at Twitter: Understanding Its Networking Value, a seminar run by Legal Island, as part of its Business for Breakfast Series.

This session is for anyone who wants to know which social media tools are being used successfully by businesses based in Northern Ireland. It is most suitable those who are aware of social media and in the very early stages of thinking about using it for business.

Sink Your Teeth Into Social Media

This information session will introduce you to the concept of social media and how it can be used to promote (yourself and) your organisation. Following a brief introduction, the session will consist chiefly of a practical, live demo of the main tools.

Date: Friday, 15 Jan 2010, 10:00-12:00

Venue: Antrim Enterprise Agency

Speaker: Dawn Baird

What are the session objectives?

The objectives of the session are as follows:

• To introduce you to the look and feel of the social media tools being used for business in NI
• To highlight NI businesses successfully using them to market and network
• To illustrate how to integrate profiles on your existing websites
• To reveal which social media tools will help you efficiently manage the time spent in raising your profile and brand awareness

Who is the session for?

This workshop is FREE to those who attend Antrim Enterprise Centre’s monthly Business Bites networking meetings.

Book your place by contacting Antrim Enterprise Agency on 028 9446 7774 or kerry@antrimenterprise.com.