PODCAST: Create products that generate emotion

Guy Kawasaki has transitioned through many roles during his lengthy and colorful career, including time as an entrepreneur, innovator, and author.

But he's perhaps best known for his work as a brand evangelist.

"And by that I mean I've helped companies market stuff," Kawasaki tells the CUNA News Podcast. He delivered a keynote address at the CUNA America's Credit Union Conference in Las Vegas last June.

In his first stint at Apple during the mid-1980s, Kawasaki played a prominent role in growing the Macintosh computer line that revolutionized computers. For him, the Macintosh inspired awe at first sight.

"The angels started singing. The clouds parted. It was a religious experience," he says. "I had been an Apple II user, but to go from an Apple II to a Macintosh—to go from using a mouse and creating graphics, as opposed to using a keyboard—it was remarkable. It was life-changing."

Kawasaki is credited with popularizing the concept of evangelism marketing, a strategy of motivating enthused consumers to raise brand awareness through word-of-mouth.

"First of all, you have to have the right kind of product or service; one that generates emotion," he says. "You have to believe that your product makes people's lives better. You're selling them what you're selling them because of their interests, not your best interests. This is the beauty of evangelism."

In addition to being an accomplished venture capitalist, Kawasaki has written numerous books, including the bestseller "Enchantment," which has been called an update to Dale Carnegie’s "How to Win Friends and Influence People."

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