Advertising talks

Advertising is the practice of paying to get a message in front of people, with the aim of building awareness or persuading them to act. In digital products it sits alongside other ways of acquiring users, such as referrals, word of mouth and content.

For product and UX teams, advertising matters because it sets expectations before someone ever opens the product, and because the way a message is framed shapes whether people respond. Growth increasingly depends on what happens inside the product too, such as how easily existing users can bring in others.

The two talks here approach the subject from different directions. Simon Sinek’s TED talk How great leaders inspire action (2010) is about how communicating purpose inspires people. Gustaf Alströmer’s Growth & Referral at Airbnb, recorded at The Family in 2015, looks at growth and referral at Airbnb. Referral mechanics like invite friends and tip a friend are covered as patterns in the UI-Patterns.com library.