Guy Kawasaki, Garage Technology Ventures and Alltop
Ask Guy Kawasaki where he lives, and he doesn't name the town. "I live in Silicon Valley," he says. In fact, he helped brand the valley as the place where high-tech dreams -- and fortunes -- are born.
In 1984, Kawasaki joined Apple, where he became chief marketer for the Apple Macintosh, and he's credited for creating the concept of the marketing evangelist. Even in that heady but pre-internet era, he believed in word of mouth and direct communication between company and customer. He left Apple in 1987, but returned in 1995 with the express mission of reviving the Macintosh cult. Mac mania is the highest expression of his theory of marketing: It's not about features, and it's not about benefits. It's about love.
Today, he's managing director of Garage Technology Ventures and founder of Alltop, an "online magazine rack" designed to make RSS feeds more readable by arranging them according to topic. He's revered for his wisdom about succeeding in business, although he defines Guy's Golden Touch as, "Whatever is gold, Guy touches."
"I think his experience with Apple has shaped how he has viewed products ever since," says Kathryn Mayall Henkens, a co-founder of Alltop. "He's not technology-driven. He approaches products as a user, and I think that's why he's a good marketer."
Kawasaki is all business and all marketer. For example, from the beginning, he saw Twitter as a marketing platform. He's been criticized for using "ghost Twitterers" to increase the amount of good content he can provide, with the aim of constantly expanding his followers -- which number some 178,840 to date. The ghost Twitterers also search for users who might be interested in hearing about Alltop. He happily admits that he pisses off about 10 people a day this way, but lands many more new followers.
Guy's Golden Rule: Authenticity is everything. Love your product, or you won't be able to market it successfully.
