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Marilyn Monroe, the Mona Lisa and Jackson Pollock

Written by: Seth Godin

Article Overview: Markets love icons. We seek them out. Placeholders, shorthand for a bigger idea or a shortcut to a good enough solution.

Marilyn Monroe, the Mona Lisa and Jackson Pollock

Markets love icons. We seek them out. Placeholders, shorthand for a bigger idea or a shortcut to a good enough solution.

Marilyn Monroe is an icon. You can use her image and say a lot, instantly. Same with the Mona Lisa.

Is it possible to be more of a blonde bombshell than Monroe? Of course you can be better looking or more blonde or more married to intellectual celebrities or dour sports stars. Is it possible to paint a better painting than the Mona Lisa? Definitely.

It doesn't matter.

Once there's an icon in place, it's there because it's working. It serves a purpose, it carries useful information and performs a valuable function. There will never (or not for a generation, anyway) be the next Marilyn Monroe because this Marilyn Monroe isn't broken. Countless artists have seen themselves as the next Jackson Pollock, but as far as the lay public is concerned, we don't really need one, thanks very much.

Google, of course, is the Marilyn Monroe of search. I have no doubt that someone will develop a useful tool one day that takes time and attention away from Google, but it won't be a search engine. Google, after all, isn't broken, not in terms of solving the iconic "how do I find something online using my web browser" question.

The challenge for organizations is this: the easiest projects to start and fund are those that go after existing icons. The search for the "next" is easy to explain and exciting to join because we can visualize the benefits. But success keeps going to people who build new icons, not to those that seek to replace the most successful existing ones.

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Article Tags: blonde bombshell, celebrities, countless artists, google, jackson pollock, love, marilyn monroe, mona lisa, no doubt, painting, search engine google, shorthand, sports stars



Related Forum Posts
My collectibles - I collect two things; Marilyn Monroe items and Angels. I have all sorts of statues, pictures, mugs and ornaments in both these fields of interest. Including one 6 foot cardboard figure of Marilyn Monroe in my bedroom! I have it against the wall behind the bedroom door and she scared the life out of my husband when I first placed it there...(He thought someone was in our room one night) LOL.
The time I spend collecting - Hi Kevin, to address your questions, honestly, I do not spend a lot of time or even money on regular basis. I've been collecting these items for about 8 years now. The way I collect is basically in my spare "I have nothing to do" time and when (or if) I happen to come accross a piece I like, I purchase it. Some of the items were gift given, like most of the Angels I've collected, while others just fell into my lap such as my 6 ft cardboard figure of Marilyn Monroe that came from my neighbor and best friend down the block from me. She happened upon it in a store and saw they were going to toss it out and she asked if she could have it...they simply gave it to her and she pasased it on. Other items I do search for when I have the time. I've even come across some pictures that I adore and printed them on my photo printer on photo paper and framed them. You can't tell they were just printed from the computer.
Re: What would you like to see be invented? - People that feel a need for drugs are in pain at some level. The pain can be physical or spiritual. Look at the way Michael Jackson died. If you are looking for a drug induced high you should be looking for a solution to your pain.
Re: Hello one and all - Hi Lisa, Welcome to the club. You will find all the resources you need here.What do you do? Let us know more about you
Re: Hello one and all - Hi Lisa, Welcome to the forum,you will find very interesting topics here, and you also welcome to start some yourself.


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