Marketing and IT startups in ancient Rome.
What ancient tips work to this day?
What ancient tips work to this day?
Let's try to find parallels between what worked then and what works now.
The 5 main topics in this article are:
1. The business model of Ancient Rome and modern IT startups.
2. Your IT product and the Rome Forum. What do they have in common?
3. How do you choose an idea for a startup? Consider the Day of the Ancient Romans.
4. Instagram bloggers in Ancient Rome.
5. How brands were promoted in Ancient Rome
You may ask, "Why consider this when there is now a lot of content for startups about AI, GPT Chat, and other tech trends?".
I'd like to share a few ideas from some very smart guys to answer this question:
“I very frequently get the question: 'What's going to change in the next 10 years?'
And that is a very interesting question, it's a very common one.
I almost never get the question: 'What's not going to change in the next 10 years?'
And I submit to you that that second question is actually the more important of the two…
In our retail business, we know that customers want low prices, and I know that's going to be true 10 years from now. They want fast delivery; they want a vast selection.
It's impossible to imagine a future 10 years from now where a customer comes up and says, 'Jeff I love Amazon; I just wish the prices were a little higher,' or 'I love Amazon; I just wish you'd deliver a little more slowly.' Impossible.
And so the effort we put into those things, spinning those things up, we know the energy we put into it today will still be paying off dividends for our customers 10 years from now. When you have something that you know is true, even over the long term, you can afford to put a lot of energy into it.”
- Jeff Bezos
“Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future, too.”
- Marcus Aurelius
“Study history, study history. In history lies all the secrets of statecraft.”
- Winston Churchill
So if we're in business, we need to understand how people 2,000 years ago did it.
Probably people doing the same thing nowadays.
The 5 main topics in this article are:
1. The business model of Ancient Rome and modern IT startups.
2. Your IT product and the Rome Forum. What do they have in common?
3. How do you choose an idea for a startup? Consider the Day of the Ancient Romans.
4. Instagram bloggers in Ancient Rome.
5. How brands were promoted in Ancient Rome
You may ask, "Why consider this when there is now a lot of content for startups about AI, GPT Chat, and other tech trends?".
I'd like to share a few ideas from some very smart guys to answer this question:
“I very frequently get the question: 'What's going to change in the next 10 years?'
And that is a very interesting question, it's a very common one.
I almost never get the question: 'What's not going to change in the next 10 years?'
And I submit to you that that second question is actually the more important of the two…
In our retail business, we know that customers want low prices, and I know that's going to be true 10 years from now. They want fast delivery; they want a vast selection.
It's impossible to imagine a future 10 years from now where a customer comes up and says, 'Jeff I love Amazon; I just wish the prices were a little higher,' or 'I love Amazon; I just wish you'd deliver a little more slowly.' Impossible.
And so the effort we put into those things, spinning those things up, we know the energy we put into it today will still be paying off dividends for our customers 10 years from now. When you have something that you know is true, even over the long term, you can afford to put a lot of energy into it.”
- Jeff Bezos
“Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future, too.”
- Marcus Aurelius
“Study history, study history. In history lies all the secrets of statecraft.”
- Winston Churchill
So if we're in business, we need to understand how people 2,000 years ago did it.
Probably people doing the same thing nowadays.
October, 2024
1. The business model of Ancient Rome and modern IT startups
Let's figure out what they have in common.
The growth principles of any business are similar to the growth principles of ancient empires.
The empires changed, but the growth principles did not change.
1. The first thing you need to do is have an army. An army is like a powerful sales team that comes in and says, “This is ours now”.
You can't do anything without it!
2. Next, after the army had conquered territory, the locals started paying taxes, in most cases, it was 10%.
Note that almost all marketplaces charge 10-20% commission from their service users.
So actually, it's very common now to hear that the subscription model is the best model for businesses and startups, when in fact it was invented thousands of years ago.
3. After conquering territory, the amount of cheap labor increased, and that cheap labor then built Rome. The modern equivalent is emigration.
4. Accordingly, all of the above factors yield more money. Empire = Сorporation, when you have a strong sales team you conquer new markets, you get new customers who start paying for subscriptions, and you can hire new employees cheaply.
For example, everyone thinks that Google has high wages, but they don't, because Google tries to hire cheap, like saying “Dude, you want to work 2 years at Google for a bad salary, but then your resume will indicate that you worked at Google?”.
5. Then after the empire grows, with more resources there is an opportunity to invest in art and technology, i.e. innovation, and thus provide your army, as it were, “new sales techniques”.
6. With the development of art and technology comes new infrastructure, and if we talk about ancient Rome, here is this well-developed infrastructure and beautiful architecture - it's a soft power.
Roughly speaking, it's as if Rome came to the barbarians and said: “We have a better standard of living, toilets, baths, etc., do you want the same? But then you will have to live by Rome's rules, pay taxes, etc.”.
7. Accordingly, a higher standard of living made more and more people want to become Romans.
Rome was one of the first to introduce the concept of citizenship, and it was a privilege to be a Roman citizen.
But, if one didn't have Roman citizenship by birthright, you have to serve 20 years in the Roman army, and then maybe their children would have Roman citizenship.
Thus we can see the Growth Loop with the Network Effect.
Let's figure out what it is.
In startups, a growth loop with a network effect is when each node makes the whole ecosystem better.
For example, we all use Instagram because there are other people there and a large number of users who generate content. If Instagram didn't have a steady, non-declining large number of users, it wouldn't be as popular as it is.
Same with ancient Rome, the army conquered new territories, Rome got more taxes and cheap labor, improved infrastructure, and technology, strengthened and increased the army, with a larger army conquered more new territories. It's a closed cycle.
If we look at YouTube, we can see the same thing.
15 years ago, there were kittens on YouTube, and there was no business content.
But if then a new video or channel about business content appears, it attracts new viewers. And about 1 in 100 viewers then becomes a content creator.
And so it again becomes a growth loop with a network effect.
It's the same situation with Reddit, Quora, Substack and others.
A new post is created, then it gets indexed on social media and gives new traffic, more people visit the platform and create new posts, and the loop closes.
So let's also look at the growth loop of Influencers.
When it's a new noname account, if a person sees the content of such an account, he/she has no motivation to subscribe to it.
But if the Influencer has, for example, more than 100,000 subscribers, then having seen such a blogger a person will think that it is probably worth paying attention to its content. By the same principle that 100,000 bees can't go wrong when they fly for honey.
Then as the number of subscribers grows, that Influencer has more opportunities to go to events, collaborate with other bloggers, and so on, which allows him/her to get even more subscribers. Once again, the loop is closed.
Now let's briefly summarize the main points from the above:
- Any good business has a Growth Loop and a Network Effect
- Each new “element” of the business increases the value of the ecosystem
- It's worth asking the question, “Does my business have a growth loop and a net effect?”
If not, for a startup it's a bad story because these elements are important for scaling and growth.
The growth principles of any business are similar to the growth principles of ancient empires.
The empires changed, but the growth principles did not change.
1. The first thing you need to do is have an army. An army is like a powerful sales team that comes in and says, “This is ours now”.
You can't do anything without it!
2. Next, after the army had conquered territory, the locals started paying taxes, in most cases, it was 10%.
Note that almost all marketplaces charge 10-20% commission from their service users.
So actually, it's very common now to hear that the subscription model is the best model for businesses and startups, when in fact it was invented thousands of years ago.
3. After conquering territory, the amount of cheap labor increased, and that cheap labor then built Rome. The modern equivalent is emigration.
4. Accordingly, all of the above factors yield more money. Empire = Сorporation, when you have a strong sales team you conquer new markets, you get new customers who start paying for subscriptions, and you can hire new employees cheaply.
For example, everyone thinks that Google has high wages, but they don't, because Google tries to hire cheap, like saying “Dude, you want to work 2 years at Google for a bad salary, but then your resume will indicate that you worked at Google?”.
5. Then after the empire grows, with more resources there is an opportunity to invest in art and technology, i.e. innovation, and thus provide your army, as it were, “new sales techniques”.
6. With the development of art and technology comes new infrastructure, and if we talk about ancient Rome, here is this well-developed infrastructure and beautiful architecture - it's a soft power.
Roughly speaking, it's as if Rome came to the barbarians and said: “We have a better standard of living, toilets, baths, etc., do you want the same? But then you will have to live by Rome's rules, pay taxes, etc.”.
7. Accordingly, a higher standard of living made more and more people want to become Romans.
Rome was one of the first to introduce the concept of citizenship, and it was a privilege to be a Roman citizen.
But, if one didn't have Roman citizenship by birthright, you have to serve 20 years in the Roman army, and then maybe their children would have Roman citizenship.
Thus we can see the Growth Loop with the Network Effect.
Let's figure out what it is.
In startups, a growth loop with a network effect is when each node makes the whole ecosystem better.
For example, we all use Instagram because there are other people there and a large number of users who generate content. If Instagram didn't have a steady, non-declining large number of users, it wouldn't be as popular as it is.
Same with ancient Rome, the army conquered new territories, Rome got more taxes and cheap labor, improved infrastructure, and technology, strengthened and increased the army, with a larger army conquered more new territories. It's a closed cycle.
If we look at YouTube, we can see the same thing.
15 years ago, there were kittens on YouTube, and there was no business content.
But if then a new video or channel about business content appears, it attracts new viewers. And about 1 in 100 viewers then becomes a content creator.
And so it again becomes a growth loop with a network effect.
It's the same situation with Reddit, Quora, Substack and others.
A new post is created, then it gets indexed on social media and gives new traffic, more people visit the platform and create new posts, and the loop closes.
So let's also look at the growth loop of Influencers.
When it's a new noname account, if a person sees the content of such an account, he/she has no motivation to subscribe to it.
But if the Influencer has, for example, more than 100,000 subscribers, then having seen such a blogger a person will think that it is probably worth paying attention to its content. By the same principle that 100,000 bees can't go wrong when they fly for honey.
Then as the number of subscribers grows, that Influencer has more opportunities to go to events, collaborate with other bloggers, and so on, which allows him/her to get even more subscribers. Once again, the loop is closed.
Now let's briefly summarize the main points from the above:
- Any good business has a Growth Loop and a Network Effect
- Each new “element” of the business increases the value of the ecosystem
- It's worth asking the question, “Does my business have a growth loop and a net effect?”
If not, for a startup it's a bad story because these elements are important for scaling and growth.
2. Your IT product and the Rome Forum.
What do they have in common?
What do they have in common?
In the image, you can see the center of ancient Rome.
If you look at the infrastructure of the Roman Forum, you can see that it included a square with various decorative elements, columns, etc., basilicas, temples, the building of the Senate, and the prison.
In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. It was usually a public building where law courts and other official and public functions were held. Basilicas could also include money exchange points and banking services.
Also nearby were temples that were actually lead magnets.
If you look at the infrastructure of the Roman Forum, you can see that it included a square with various decorative elements, columns, etc., basilicas, temples, the building of the Senate, and the prison.
In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. It was usually a public building where law courts and other official and public functions were held. Basilicas could also include money exchange points and banking services.
Also nearby were temples that were actually lead magnets.
The Forum of Ancient Rome also included such important elements as the Rostra and the Comitium.
Rostra was essentially a large platform for speeches. In fact, it was a tribune, from the ancient “tribunal”. The Comitium was the original open-air public meeting space.
Standing on the rostra facing the north side of the Comitium toward the Senate building, they made speeches to those assembled between them.
Also on rostra, there were announcements placed.
We can say that it was the equivalent of Instagram, where they posted stories.
Also in the Roman forum were places for trade, which were not worse than modern shopping malls, which could include places where many goods and services were sold, such as beauty salons, dentists, cloth sales, game halls, places where you could eat, etc.
Also on the Roman forum, there was a special prison for politically important prisoners. For example in times of war with Gauls in such prison, Vercingetorix was kept, and all Romans knew that he was kept in this prison.
This was done to show the Romans the enemy and make them understand what it was for.
So let's summarize the above.
At the Rome Forum, there was a certain infrastructure that solved certain problems, and these problems are already very many years old. So when you do a startup, you should be looking for solutions to the problems that were then and are now.
In addition, the Roman Forum had triumphal arches, columns, etc. These were cases and each emperor added some new elements.
And so it turns out that the emperors of Ancient Rome can be compared to company product managers.
A good product manager added good features and a bad one added bad ones.
It's like the Facebook situation. At first, it was cool, but then it started to get more and more things, and people started to conclude that they needed something new, and that's how Instagram became popular.
Now, however, Instagram has been replaced by Discord and TikTok.Then the wave of hype around Instagram was replaced by Discord, TikTok, and so on. So we can conclude that this is an ongoing process.
Let's briefly summarize again what was in the Rome forum, and conclude the main niches in which to build a business:
In fact, those parts of the Roman forum that closed this need were analogs of social networks. Twitter, Reddit, and Facebook actually have the same format as the Roman forum.
I'm not sure, but I think there is a special software for prisons these days, because once upon a time while researching software products for different areas of business, I was surprised to find that there is a specific application category for churches.
So, from the above, we can conclude that if we analyze all large multi-billion dollar companies, they all aim to “become the Forum of Rome”.
The difference is that everyone starts with a specific area and then adds new elements to the infrastructure (nodes).
If we look at Amazon, they started by selling books, and their principle was “You can buy all the books online here”.
The question is where is Amazon now and where are the books?
I think that now book sales on Amazon are, to put it mildly, not a major part of their profits.
That's why every IT company has a basic direction, “social media first”, “e-commerce first”,
“tech first”, and then it adds additional features and things.
Rostra was essentially a large platform for speeches. In fact, it was a tribune, from the ancient “tribunal”. The Comitium was the original open-air public meeting space.
Standing on the rostra facing the north side of the Comitium toward the Senate building, they made speeches to those assembled between them.
Also on rostra, there were announcements placed.
We can say that it was the equivalent of Instagram, where they posted stories.
Also in the Roman forum were places for trade, which were not worse than modern shopping malls, which could include places where many goods and services were sold, such as beauty salons, dentists, cloth sales, game halls, places where you could eat, etc.
Also on the Roman forum, there was a special prison for politically important prisoners. For example in times of war with Gauls in such prison, Vercingetorix was kept, and all Romans knew that he was kept in this prison.
This was done to show the Romans the enemy and make them understand what it was for.
So let's summarize the above.
At the Rome Forum, there was a certain infrastructure that solved certain problems, and these problems are already very many years old. So when you do a startup, you should be looking for solutions to the problems that were then and are now.
In addition, the Roman Forum had triumphal arches, columns, etc. These were cases and each emperor added some new elements.
And so it turns out that the emperors of Ancient Rome can be compared to company product managers.
A good product manager added good features and a bad one added bad ones.
It's like the Facebook situation. At first, it was cool, but then it started to get more and more things, and people started to conclude that they needed something new, and that's how Instagram became popular.
Now, however, Instagram has been replaced by Discord and TikTok.Then the wave of hype around Instagram was replaced by Discord, TikTok, and so on. So we can conclude that this is an ongoing process.
Let's briefly summarize again what was in the Rome forum, and conclude the main niches in which to build a business:
- Niches related to communication and networking. It concerns any meetings, discussions, encounters, dating, etc.
In fact, those parts of the Roman forum that closed this need were analogs of social networks. Twitter, Reddit, and Facebook actually have the same format as the Roman forum.
- Newsfeed - any announcements, news, any new and relevant content
- Temples and entertainment, services(medical, pharmacies, beauty parlors, etc.), and commerce were all located in the analogs of today's shopping malls
- Administrative buildings (court, senate, prison, bank, currency exchange, and so on)
I'm not sure, but I think there is a special software for prisons these days, because once upon a time while researching software products for different areas of business, I was surprised to find that there is a specific application category for churches.
So, from the above, we can conclude that if we analyze all large multi-billion dollar companies, they all aim to “become the Forum of Rome”.
The difference is that everyone starts with a specific area and then adds new elements to the infrastructure (nodes).
If we look at Amazon, they started by selling books, and their principle was “You can buy all the books online here”.
The question is where is Amazon now and where are the books?
I think that now book sales on Amazon are, to put it mildly, not a major part of their profits.
That's why every IT company has a basic direction, “social media first”, “e-commerce first”,
“tech first”, and then it adds additional features and things.
The Ensemble of the Imperial Forums was under building for 150 years.
Once a new emperor came to power, or in the analogy “there was a new product manager in the company”, he needed to do something to make history.
But if we look at the Roman Forum and make an analogy with Facebook, we can see that the existing forum was already overloaded with various “features”, i.e. triumphal arches, columns, etc., so there was simply nowhere to add new ones.
I honestly can't imagine what new things can be added to Facebook.
Therefore, the simple decision of the new emperor of Rome was to build another new forum.
And every new emperor that came to power did the same thing.
Moreover, what is remarkable, we can see that everyone built their new forum next to the old one, i.e. next to the already existing traffic-generating part.
It's like a restaurant street. If there is 1 restaurant, then there will be fewer people on this street in general, but if there are several restaurants, then people know that it is a street with restaurants and the traffic on this street will increase.
The ensemble of Roman forums was built for 150 years, and each forum had its own unique feature.
For example, in the Forum of Trojan, there is a column that has been saved to this day.
But if we look at the Roman Forum and make an analogy with Facebook, we can see that the existing forum was already overloaded with various “features”, i.e. triumphal arches, columns, etc., so there was simply nowhere to add new ones.
I honestly can't imagine what new things can be added to Facebook.
Therefore, the simple decision of the new emperor of Rome was to build another new forum.
And every new emperor that came to power did the same thing.
Moreover, what is remarkable, we can see that everyone built their new forum next to the old one, i.e. next to the already existing traffic-generating part.
It's like a restaurant street. If there is 1 restaurant, then there will be fewer people on this street in general, but if there are several restaurants, then people know that it is a street with restaurants and the traffic on this street will increase.
The ensemble of Roman forums was built for 150 years, and each forum had its own unique feature.
For example, in the Forum of Trojan, there is a column that has been saved to this day.
So it is like a "highlight stories" that has been left to the present day.
Also on the Trojan Forum were built the Trojan Museum, and the Trojan Market, which at that time can be considered one of the most modern in terms of construction technology.
Thus, as previously described, each forum had its own unique feature.
The Roman Forum was more about social issues and public policy, while the Trojan Forum was originally about aesthetics, museums, and then trade, and so on.
And herein one interesting idea about the product approach hides.
It's when someone starts selling something to someone else, and then it scales into something big.
The forum in ancient Rome was first a market, that is, a place where there was traffic, and then other things were added to it, like places for entertainment, administration, temples, and so on.
But it all started based on where the commerce was happening.
Amazon and Craigslist are perfect examples.
Craigslist is a generally unique case.
It is a privately held American company operating a classified advertisements website with sections devoted to jobs, housing, for sale, items wanted, services, community service, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums.
This business was started by Craig Newmark. In early 1995, he began an email distribution list to friends. Most of the early postings were submitted by him and were notices of social events of interest to software and Internet developers living and working in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Then the subscriber list started to grow and to make a long story short, it went viral, a domain was created, ads started selling, and it started to scale.
This approach builds on the same approach as the Trojan Forum.
That is, building and promoting a personal brand first, which means building the “Trojan Column” and the “Trojan Museum,” and then developing commerce and sales and everything else, and scaling that.
It's the TikTok and Telegram approach.
Facebook has grown rather organically, building an approach based on the problem.
Telegram built its brand and advertising campaign on the thesis of the security of user data and correspondence.
TikTok did the same thing by simply offering the user a fresh content format which is what ultimately made the app go viral.
Moving on to the next point.
As we found out earlier, big companies are solving the same problems that were in ancient Rome.
In the image below, you can see that the bigger the company and the more massive the problem that people are willing to pay for a solution to, the closer it is to the center of ancient Rome.
Also on the Trojan Forum were built the Trojan Museum, and the Trojan Market, which at that time can be considered one of the most modern in terms of construction technology.
Thus, as previously described, each forum had its own unique feature.
The Roman Forum was more about social issues and public policy, while the Trojan Forum was originally about aesthetics, museums, and then trade, and so on.
And herein one interesting idea about the product approach hides.
- Organic approach.
It's when someone starts selling something to someone else, and then it scales into something big.
The forum in ancient Rome was first a market, that is, a place where there was traffic, and then other things were added to it, like places for entertainment, administration, temples, and so on.
But it all started based on where the commerce was happening.
Amazon and Craigslist are perfect examples.
Craigslist is a generally unique case.
It is a privately held American company operating a classified advertisements website with sections devoted to jobs, housing, for sale, items wanted, services, community service, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums.
This business was started by Craig Newmark. In early 1995, he began an email distribution list to friends. Most of the early postings were submitted by him and were notices of social events of interest to software and Internet developers living and working in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Then the subscriber list started to grow and to make a long story short, it went viral, a domain was created, ads started selling, and it started to scale.
- Conceptual approach
This approach builds on the same approach as the Trojan Forum.
That is, building and promoting a personal brand first, which means building the “Trojan Column” and the “Trojan Museum,” and then developing commerce and sales and everything else, and scaling that.
It's the TikTok and Telegram approach.
Facebook has grown rather organically, building an approach based on the problem.
Telegram built its brand and advertising campaign on the thesis of the security of user data and correspondence.
TikTok did the same thing by simply offering the user a fresh content format which is what ultimately made the app go viral.
Moving on to the next point.
As we found out earlier, big companies are solving the same problems that were in ancient Rome.
In the image below, you can see that the bigger the company and the more massive the problem that people are willing to pay for a solution to, the closer it is to the center of ancient Rome.
For example, I placed it this way: the Colosseum is Instagram, Twitter is the Roman Forum, Dollars is a bank, Amazon is a place of commerce, YouTube and Facebook are Circus Maximus, which was one of the largest hippodrome in ancient Rome, etc.
By the way, I would like to share a thought on social media.
We currently use about 4-5 social networking apps on average, and each of them has its own focus, I mean for example “text first”, “video first”, “photos first”, and so on.
All these applications of global social networks are now trying to add additional functionality, because of which they all become similar to each other, but still, they have different use cases, so we use them all.
What I'm getting at is, after analyzing the entertainment of the ancient Romans, I realized that they had only a few main places they visited for entertainment and spectacle, such as the Colosseum, Circus Maximus, theaters, temples, and so on.
From this we can conclude that in general as of then there were about 5 of the most demanded use cases that there are now, it's just that technology allows companies to implement them differently nowadays.
Let's go back to our image.
Airbnb has less revenue and it's a little bit further from the center.
People have always required housing, it's one of the basic needs.
Upwork, if you need to find a blacksmith, a seamstress, or another professional, it's here.
You can also include LinkedIn.
Tinder, has been everywhere, it's stealthy and hidden, but it's a perpetual business.
Also, I added Tilda far from the center, this is just an example of tools. All the workshops were far from the center.
The main idea is that the more popular the solution and the more mass issue, the closer the companies are to the center of attention, and the more traffic they will be able to attract.
Of course, it is possible to make social networking apps and similar. Still, it is quite difficult considering that you must compete with the existing technological giants already taking over the market.
On the other hand, if you create an app that is a tool, along the lines of a notional ancient Roman blacksmith across the Tiber River far from the center, you may have customers and stable profits, but it may be difficult to scale compared to something closer to the center.
Moving on, we can see that ancient Rome is like a place where all problems can be found.
But then Microsoft comes in and creates one of the operating systems necessary for the development of startup ecosystems.
By the way, I would like to share a thought on social media.
We currently use about 4-5 social networking apps on average, and each of them has its own focus, I mean for example “text first”, “video first”, “photos first”, and so on.
All these applications of global social networks are now trying to add additional functionality, because of which they all become similar to each other, but still, they have different use cases, so we use them all.
What I'm getting at is, after analyzing the entertainment of the ancient Romans, I realized that they had only a few main places they visited for entertainment and spectacle, such as the Colosseum, Circus Maximus, theaters, temples, and so on.
From this we can conclude that in general as of then there were about 5 of the most demanded use cases that there are now, it's just that technology allows companies to implement them differently nowadays.
Let's go back to our image.
Airbnb has less revenue and it's a little bit further from the center.
People have always required housing, it's one of the basic needs.
Upwork, if you need to find a blacksmith, a seamstress, or another professional, it's here.
You can also include LinkedIn.
Tinder, has been everywhere, it's stealthy and hidden, but it's a perpetual business.
Also, I added Tilda far from the center, this is just an example of tools. All the workshops were far from the center.
The main idea is that the more popular the solution and the more mass issue, the closer the companies are to the center of attention, and the more traffic they will be able to attract.
Of course, it is possible to make social networking apps and similar. Still, it is quite difficult considering that you must compete with the existing technological giants already taking over the market.
On the other hand, if you create an app that is a tool, along the lines of a notional ancient Roman blacksmith across the Tiber River far from the center, you may have customers and stable profits, but it may be difficult to scale compared to something closer to the center.
Moving on, we can see that ancient Rome is like a place where all problems can be found.
But then Microsoft comes in and creates one of the operating systems necessary for the development of startup ecosystems.
Next comes Apple which creates a portable device that allows you to have a solution to problems always in your pocket.
The essence of the metaphor is that the most common and popular solutions to problems are placed on the home screen of your smartphone.
Accordingly, if you create an application that will not be located on the home screen of the user's smartphone, it is probably not the best idea.
Unfortunately, I realized this after my 30s instead of realizing it in my 20s.
The essence of the metaphor is that the most common and popular solutions to problems are placed on the home screen of your smartphone.
Accordingly, if you create an application that will not be located on the home screen of the user's smartphone, it is probably not the best idea.
Unfortunately, I realized this after my 30s instead of realizing it in my 20s.
Here are the most popular apps around the world.
As you can see, we have 5-10 of the biggest players in each category.
So when you start creating a startup, first of all, it is important to check whether it can be categorized in any of these categories.
Because it is better to have a small store in the Roman Forum than a huge shop somewhere on the edge of the empire.
Let's summarize the results of this section.
How do you understand whether your idea for a startup is a good one or not?
If the solution to this problem was demanded in the time of the Roman forum, then it is a great idea, because the problem is massive.
If the solution was not demanded by the ancient Romans, it would not be demanded in our time.
You should look at successful cases from the past, and how people did it back then.
If we talk about Instagram as an example, it is gossip and bragging. That is, people on Instagram can show their lives, share gossip, and post something to brag on the principle “I'm cool and I'll show it to everyone".
That's human nature.
The problem is that in life, no one will tell you about this problem.
If you ask a person in real life why they need Instagram, “to be able to show off?”, they will say it's not true, and it's more about aesthetics and so on, but no one will ever admit the reality.
As you can see, we have 5-10 of the biggest players in each category.
So when you start creating a startup, first of all, it is important to check whether it can be categorized in any of these categories.
Because it is better to have a small store in the Roman Forum than a huge shop somewhere on the edge of the empire.
Let's summarize the results of this section.
How do you understand whether your idea for a startup is a good one or not?
- Were there analogs or alternatives to your startup in the Rome Forum?
If the solution to this problem was demanded in the time of the Roman forum, then it is a great idea, because the problem is massive.
If the solution was not demanded by the ancient Romans, it would not be demanded in our time.
- How was this problem solved in ancient Rome?
You should look at successful cases from the past, and how people did it back then.
- How many resources and time did the ancient Romans spend on this problem?
If we talk about Instagram as an example, it is gossip and bragging. That is, people on Instagram can show their lives, share gossip, and post something to brag on the principle “I'm cool and I'll show it to everyone".
That's human nature.
The problem is that in life, no one will tell you about this problem.
If you ask a person in real life why they need Instagram, “to be able to show off?”, they will say it's not true, and it's more about aesthetics and so on, but no one will ever admit the reality.
3. How do you choose an idea for a startup? Consider the Day of the Ancient Romans.
Let's try to look at a few cases and break them down in more detail.
I've concluded that our whole life is news. It's different, we share different content with people, and the quality of the news we consume and what goes into this circle of interests determines the level of our mindfulness.
Someone is interested in content about games, and someone else is interested in a lecture about startups and ancient Rome.
And the main idea is that news is a never-ending business, we can't live without news.
Moreover, do you know people who say they don't read the news? This is a clear lie, as they just learn the news from other people. Moreover, note also that the most important news we can always learn from someone, you will know very quickly if something global has happened.
- News (as a basic human need)
I've concluded that our whole life is news. It's different, we share different content with people, and the quality of the news we consume and what goes into this circle of interests determines the level of our mindfulness.
Someone is interested in content about games, and someone else is interested in a lecture about startups and ancient Rome.
And the main idea is that news is a never-ending business, we can't live without news.
Moreover, do you know people who say they don't read the news? This is a clear lie, as they just learn the news from other people. Moreover, note also that the most important news we can always learn from someone, you will know very quickly if something global has happened.
In the recent past the main source of news was newspapers, then watching television, today we can see that in any cafe, subway, or anywhere else, everyone is on their phones.
“.. Pray, if by chance you have any news, principally from my brother Quintus, next from Caesar, and, finally, anything about the elections or about politics - for you have an excellent nose for such things - write and tell me about them: if you have no news, nevertheless write something…”
- Cicero
Cicero wrote this to his friend while traveling through the provinces.
So dopamine already existed back then. 😁
And that's why all content craters post content every day so that Cicero can read the news. 😉
By the way, note that in most cases we are consumers of news, not the creators.
And this is the difference between a good Influencer and a bad one.
A good Influencer doesn't wait for an information occasion, he creates one himself. If you wait for an information occasion to appear, it's a bad story.
It's always better to be a newsmaker yourself than to wait and participate in other people's news events.
Let's look at how news appeared in ancient Rome.
For example, there was an event in the Senate.
Then the herald came out and announced the news, decree, etc.
Nowadays it can be compared with any public speeches of any public persons, politicians, businessmen, and so on.
Similarly, news announcement toolkits can also be compared. In ancient Rome all news was presented on the rostra, nowadays it is social networks, news sites, TV, YouTube, and other information delivery channels.
Also in ancient Rome, there was a weekly newspaper called Acta Diurna.
Gaius Julius Caesar decided that people needed to read and discuss the news because if there is no news, people will start discussing their problems and this is not good for the government.
I mean, even then there was the idea that you had to keep people's attention.
What happened next?
After the ancient Romans went to the forum, they learned the news, and then the next place in the sequence was the Roman Public Toilet.
It was a central place for discussions, gossip, and so on.
“.. Pray, if by chance you have any news, principally from my brother Quintus, next from Caesar, and, finally, anything about the elections or about politics - for you have an excellent nose for such things - write and tell me about them: if you have no news, nevertheless write something…”
- Cicero
Cicero wrote this to his friend while traveling through the provinces.
So dopamine already existed back then. 😁
And that's why all content craters post content every day so that Cicero can read the news. 😉
By the way, note that in most cases we are consumers of news, not the creators.
And this is the difference between a good Influencer and a bad one.
A good Influencer doesn't wait for an information occasion, he creates one himself. If you wait for an information occasion to appear, it's a bad story.
It's always better to be a newsmaker yourself than to wait and participate in other people's news events.
Let's look at how news appeared in ancient Rome.
For example, there was an event in the Senate.
Then the herald came out and announced the news, decree, etc.
Nowadays it can be compared with any public speeches of any public persons, politicians, businessmen, and so on.
Similarly, news announcement toolkits can also be compared. In ancient Rome all news was presented on the rostra, nowadays it is social networks, news sites, TV, YouTube, and other information delivery channels.
Also in ancient Rome, there was a weekly newspaper called Acta Diurna.
Gaius Julius Caesar decided that people needed to read and discuss the news because if there is no news, people will start discussing their problems and this is not good for the government.
I mean, even then there was the idea that you had to keep people's attention.
What happened next?
After the ancient Romans went to the forum, they learned the news, and then the next place in the sequence was the Roman Public Toilet.
It was a central place for discussions, gossip, and so on.
And I was thinking how accurate the definition of “shitposting” is. People have always needed to have a “shitshtorm in the comments".
The situation was the same with the Roman baths.
People consumed content and then discussed, gossiped, and argued.
I've generally concluded that Facebook has destroyed the concept of “Kitchen Chatter”.
I was in the architecture faculty, and we had rooms with drafting tables where everyone drafted and then went into one big room for discussions.
I remember that at the beginning of my studies, everyone used to gather there, but over time these rooms became empty because file-sharing sites, social networks, and so on appeared.
And people stopped gathering to “talk in the kitchen”.
Can you imagine Mark Zuckerberg coming to investors and saying he's going to eliminate “kitchen talks”?
The situation was the same with the Roman baths.
People consumed content and then discussed, gossiped, and argued.
I've generally concluded that Facebook has destroyed the concept of “Kitchen Chatter”.
I was in the architecture faculty, and we had rooms with drafting tables where everyone drafted and then went into one big room for discussions.
I remember that at the beginning of my studies, everyone used to gather there, but over time these rooms became empty because file-sharing sites, social networks, and so on appeared.
And people stopped gathering to “talk in the kitchen”.
Can you imagine Mark Zuckerberg coming to investors and saying he's going to eliminate “kitchen talks”?
Content on the Via Abbondanza, Street of Abundance of Ancient Pompeii
It was one of the central arteries of the city where commerce took place and there was constant active traffic. So we can say it was a powerful lead magnet.
One of the notable things about the content on Abundance Street.
Due to the high traffic, there were a lot of ads on the walls, but there was not enough space for all of them, so there were regular situations when someone would come in the night, erase one ad, and write their own on top of it.
One of the notable things about the content on Abundance Street.
Due to the high traffic, there were a lot of ads on the walls, but there was not enough space for all of them, so there were regular situations when someone would come in the night, erase one ad, and write their own on top of it.
By analogy, I would say that if it was drawn on a wall it's Post, when it's carved out of stone it's Highlights.
But it's also important to realize that it wasn't just ads that were written on the walls.
For example, I found one of the fragments of a typical “Brawl in the comments” 😁😁😁
(Severus) - “Successus, a weaver, loves the innkeeper’s slave girl named Iris. She, however, does not love him. Still, he begs her to have pity on him. His rival wrote this. Goodbye”
(Answer by Successus) - “Envious one, why do you get in the way? Submit to a handsomer man and one who is being treated very wrongly and good looking”
(Answer by Severus) - “I have spoken. I have written all there is to say. You love Iris, but she does not love you”.
It's a natural Facebook or Twitter comment, only it was on the wall. 😁😁😁
The themes of the inscriptions were different, and it could be a good idea for a startup.
What was written on walls in ancient Rome was in most cases:
The questions “Where to eat?” and “Is there really good food?” are a timeless business.
It's Airbnb and the like.
But it's also important to realize that it wasn't just ads that were written on the walls.
For example, I found one of the fragments of a typical “Brawl in the comments” 😁😁😁
(Severus) - “Successus, a weaver, loves the innkeeper’s slave girl named Iris. She, however, does not love him. Still, he begs her to have pity on him. His rival wrote this. Goodbye”
(Answer by Successus) - “Envious one, why do you get in the way? Submit to a handsomer man and one who is being treated very wrongly and good looking”
(Answer by Severus) - “I have spoken. I have written all there is to say. You love Iris, but she does not love you”.
It's a natural Facebook or Twitter comment, only it was on the wall. 😁😁😁
The themes of the inscriptions were different, and it could be a good idea for a startup.
What was written on walls in ancient Rome was in most cases:
- Political promotion
- Gossip
- Where to eat?
The questions “Where to eat?” and “Is there really good food?” are a timeless business.
- Where to sleep?
It's Airbnb and the like.
- Where to find a blacksmith?
- Announcements of gladiatorial fights
Disaggregation of Craigslist
All the most common ad topics and ad categories are on the same Craigslist, and if we look closely, every category on Craigslist has caused the creation of a multi-billion dollar startup that performs in that niche.
For example, Craigslist has one of the most popular sections of real estate listings.
As we can understand, this led to the creation of Airbnb, moreover, Airbnb subsequently created a plugin, aggregated traffic from Craigslist and so partially gained an audience.
I mean, maybe the ads in ancient Rome are too much. 😅😅😅
However, when choosing a niche for a startup, researching the market, looking at ad boards, and the like to get a better understanding of what people need is quite a working strategy.
For example, Craigslist has one of the most popular sections of real estate listings.
As we can understand, this led to the creation of Airbnb, moreover, Airbnb subsequently created a plugin, aggregated traffic from Craigslist and so partially gained an audience.
I mean, maybe the ads in ancient Rome are too much. 😅😅😅
However, when choosing a niche for a startup, researching the market, looking at ad boards, and the like to get a better understanding of what people need is quite a working strategy.
Analogs in ancient Rome
There was Thermopolium in ancient Rome.
It was the equivalent of modern fast food restaurants, note that visually they have not changed much. The main similarity is the principle of “fast and cheap”.
In essence, it is an analog of McDonald's.
It was the equivalent of modern fast food restaurants, note that visually they have not changed much. The main similarity is the principle of “fast and cheap”.
In essence, it is an analog of McDonald's.
There were also Tabellari Messengers.
We can say that it is an analog of modern messengers, email apps, and as well as delivery services such as UberEATS and so on.
Moreover, Ancient Rome had analogs of today's information, news, and content aggregators.
When Cicero sent the Tabelarius to the Roman forum for news, he instructed that he wanted only political news, and the Tabelarius took a wax tablet where he wrote down all the important news.
These days it could be Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, Telegram, and so on, so that means that we get news or some new content from some kind of an Influencer\channel\group or something like that, which is some kind of information aggregation channel that we subscribe to.
We know the approach to filtering information and the format of content presentation from this information channel, and it suits us.
That is, in general, we can conclude that if your business is related to information aggregation, it will always be in demand and you will always be paid for it either with money or attention.
This is an example of how history can be used to see which features you can add to the product and it might be in demand.
“I sent you on March 24 a copy of Balbus' letter to me and of Caesar's letter to him...”
- Cicero
Actually, it's the same Forward feature in Gmail. In ancient Rome, it was often practiced to exchange information in this way, where a person would receive another person's letter, add their comments, and forward it to the other.
When it comes to real estate, we should look at Insulas.
We can say that it is an analog of modern messengers, email apps, and as well as delivery services such as UberEATS and so on.
Moreover, Ancient Rome had analogs of today's information, news, and content aggregators.
When Cicero sent the Tabelarius to the Roman forum for news, he instructed that he wanted only political news, and the Tabelarius took a wax tablet where he wrote down all the important news.
These days it could be Twitter, Reddit, Facebook, Telegram, and so on, so that means that we get news or some new content from some kind of an Influencer\channel\group or something like that, which is some kind of information aggregation channel that we subscribe to.
We know the approach to filtering information and the format of content presentation from this information channel, and it suits us.
That is, in general, we can conclude that if your business is related to information aggregation, it will always be in demand and you will always be paid for it either with money or attention.
This is an example of how history can be used to see which features you can add to the product and it might be in demand.
“I sent you on March 24 a copy of Balbus' letter to me and of Caesar's letter to him...”
- Cicero
Actually, it's the same Forward feature in Gmail. In ancient Rome, it was often practiced to exchange information in this way, where a person would receive another person's letter, add their comments, and forward it to the other.
When it comes to real estate, we should look at Insulas.
Insulas were apartment buildings that provided economically viable housing where land values were high and populations were dense.
In most cases, the first floor may have been used for stores, eateries, and so on.
The second floor was usually taken up by more well-off citizens, and people with lower incomes inhabited the higher floors.
So we can see that modern apartment buildings are very similar in their structure.
Accordingly, if we look at Craigslist again, we see that rental ads are one of the largest categories.
If we look at IKEA we can see that this company deals with all the in-house issues.
In general, a house is a very important unit in our lives. It is like a shelter that protects us from being eaten while we sleep. And then we also equip that shelter with coziness and other things.
Moreover, please note that recently, due to quarantines and various additional factors, office real estate has lost a bit in demand, because the pattern of behavior has changed and people more often prefer to work remotely, go to co-working spaces or cafeterias, and so on.
But residential real estate will always be in demand because people need somewhere to live.
So, the main idea is that everyone whose business is related to houses is a great business that will always be in demand because people have to sleep somewhere.
Let's also move on to the more expensive segment, these are villas and cottages.
In most cases, the first floor may have been used for stores, eateries, and so on.
The second floor was usually taken up by more well-off citizens, and people with lower incomes inhabited the higher floors.
So we can see that modern apartment buildings are very similar in their structure.
Accordingly, if we look at Craigslist again, we see that rental ads are one of the largest categories.
If we look at IKEA we can see that this company deals with all the in-house issues.
In general, a house is a very important unit in our lives. It is like a shelter that protects us from being eaten while we sleep. And then we also equip that shelter with coziness and other things.
Moreover, please note that recently, due to quarantines and various additional factors, office real estate has lost a bit in demand, because the pattern of behavior has changed and people more often prefer to work remotely, go to co-working spaces or cafeterias, and so on.
But residential real estate will always be in demand because people need somewhere to live.
So, the main idea is that everyone whose business is related to houses is a great business that will always be in demand because people have to sleep somewhere.
Let's also move on to the more expensive segment, these are villas and cottages.
If you look closely, the structure of the villa as a whole has not changed very much.
It is very important because in the past, living in such a villa could afford an emperor, a senator, or a major politician, but nowadays it can afford ordinary people.
We can say that Airbnb and Booking are quite suitable for the category of cottage rentals, and B&B Italia is an example of branded furniture.
Speaking of which, an interesting question is “Would you rather work with the premium segment or the mass consumer?”.
It seems to be logical that it is worth working with the premium segment because there is furniture there, such as sofas costing €30,000, etc.
I decided to research the information and found that IKEA's revenue is about 5-10 times more than the combined revenue of all Italian fashion furniture brands.
Therefore, it is always worth exploring the market, because depending on the specifics of the niche may be more profitable to focus on the luxury segment or the contrary on the mass consumer.
The worst and most failed strategy is if you start inventing some non-existent consumer segments and make either a product or services for them.
It is very important because in the past, living in such a villa could afford an emperor, a senator, or a major politician, but nowadays it can afford ordinary people.
We can say that Airbnb and Booking are quite suitable for the category of cottage rentals, and B&B Italia is an example of branded furniture.
Speaking of which, an interesting question is “Would you rather work with the premium segment or the mass consumer?”.
It seems to be logical that it is worth working with the premium segment because there is furniture there, such as sofas costing €30,000, etc.
I decided to research the information and found that IKEA's revenue is about 5-10 times more than the combined revenue of all Italian fashion furniture brands.
Therefore, it is always worth exploring the market, because depending on the specifics of the niche may be more profitable to focus on the luxury segment or the contrary on the mass consumer.
The worst and most failed strategy is if you start inventing some non-existent consumer segments and make either a product or services for them.
The concept of an “Alley in Ancient Rome”
After all of the above, you may say: “All this is great, of course, but forums, villas, real estate, and so on, are not affordable for ordinary people. What should they do?”.
Every Roman could go to the alleys, for example near the forum, where there is traffic, and sell something there.
Let's break it down in more detail.
Every Roman could go to the alleys, for example near the forum, where there is traffic, and sell something there.
Let's break it down in more detail.
For example on the left side of the image you can wooden doll, someone made it by hand. At the same time, look at how big the sales of Barbie dolls are.
In the center of the image, you can see gaming pieces for playing dominoes.
That is people back then were already playing various games, whether it was dice, dominoes, or something else.
Different kinds of games and entertainment are a huge segment of people.
Here we can see certain patterns of behavior.
The same Sims 4 is a life simulator game, any shooters and battle royals are boys playing war games on Campus Martius in Ancient Rome, and so on.
So we can conclude that it is necessary to closely observe people's activities in ordinary life, and start from there. Like the same Facebook is the automation of kitchen conversations.
Let’s summarize all above:
- If you're looking for a startup idea explore what people did 2000 years ago.
They are probably doing the same thing today but in a different way.
- Startups always solve an old problem with a new method.
Accordingly, a good startup makes you think, “Aha, now people are going to do it like this,” i.e., it causes you to have an “Aha moment.”
In the center of the image, you can see gaming pieces for playing dominoes.
That is people back then were already playing various games, whether it was dice, dominoes, or something else.
Different kinds of games and entertainment are a huge segment of people.
Here we can see certain patterns of behavior.
The same Sims 4 is a life simulator game, any shooters and battle royals are boys playing war games on Campus Martius in Ancient Rome, and so on.
So we can conclude that it is necessary to closely observe people's activities in ordinary life, and start from there. Like the same Facebook is the automation of kitchen conversations.
Let’s summarize all above:
- If you're looking for a startup idea explore what people did 2000 years ago.
They are probably doing the same thing today but in a different way.
- Startups always solve an old problem with a new method.
Accordingly, a good startup makes you think, “Aha, now people are going to do it like this,” i.e., it causes you to have an “Aha moment.”
4. Instagram bloggers in Ancient Rome.
These days we can see a large number of Instagram bloggers and Influencers. But the thing is, they have been around at all times.
Cristiano Ronaldo, watched by thousands of people in the stadium, is no different from a gladiator in ancient Rome who fought in the amphitheater arena.
How is Conor McGregor different from a gladiator?
Nothing. The only difference is that today, technology exists to broadcast and share this content to as many people as possible.
Thus we can conclude that people have been watching someone punch someone in the face for thousands of years. 😆😆😆
Cristiano Ronaldo, watched by thousands of people in the stadium, is no different from a gladiator in ancient Rome who fought in the amphitheater arena.
How is Conor McGregor different from a gladiator?
Nothing. The only difference is that today, technology exists to broadcast and share this content to as many people as possible.
Thus we can conclude that people have been watching someone punch someone in the face for thousands of years. 😆😆😆
Previously it was the Colosseum, wine, bread, and spectacle.
Now we go to the stadium or watch the broadcast of a match in places, go to the movies, eat chips or popcorn with Coca-Cola, and so on.
In the past people watched gladiator battles, now we're watching John Wick.
Gladiators had their fan clubs, just like football, baseball, soccer clubs, cyber sports teams, bloggers, Influencers and others have now.
And it's the same thing with online.
If you go on Twitch you can see streams with many thousands of live viewers.
Another important thing to consider. Politicians have always sponsored gladiators to boost their political careers. Has anything changed today?
Now we go to the stadium or watch the broadcast of a match in places, go to the movies, eat chips or popcorn with Coca-Cola, and so on.
In the past people watched gladiator battles, now we're watching John Wick.
Gladiators had their fan clubs, just like football, baseball, soccer clubs, cyber sports teams, bloggers, Influencers and others have now.
And it's the same thing with online.
If you go on Twitch you can see streams with many thousands of live viewers.
Another important thing to consider. Politicians have always sponsored gladiators to boost their political careers. Has anything changed today?
Cristiano Ronaldo comes to the UAE, they give him a huge contract and he goes and takes pictures with them.
“20 pairs of gladiators of Decimus Lucretius Satrius Valens, perpetual priest of Nero Caesar, son of Augustus, and 10 pairs of gladiators of Decimus Lucretius Valens, his son, on 28 March. There will be a hunt and awnings.”
- Graffiti on a wall in Pompeii dated from around AD 50-68
I'm rephrasing for an illustrative example:
“11 players Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and 11 players Avram “Avie” Glazer will face off on Friday at Old Trafford. Don't miss it, Manchester City vs. Manchester United.”
As we can see, nothing has changed. 😆
In general, we can conclude that whether it is an Influencer, a politician, or any other public figure, they all create a certain network effect around themselves and their content, and the bigger the audience, the harder it is to compete with such an Influencer.
On the other hand these days technology is available to everyone, but that just increases competition and you can't get a lot of traffic overnight.
“20 pairs of gladiators of Decimus Lucretius Satrius Valens, perpetual priest of Nero Caesar, son of Augustus, and 10 pairs of gladiators of Decimus Lucretius Valens, his son, on 28 March. There will be a hunt and awnings.”
- Graffiti on a wall in Pompeii dated from around AD 50-68
I'm rephrasing for an illustrative example:
“11 players Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and 11 players Avram “Avie” Glazer will face off on Friday at Old Trafford. Don't miss it, Manchester City vs. Manchester United.”
As we can see, nothing has changed. 😆
In general, we can conclude that whether it is an Influencer, a politician, or any other public figure, they all create a certain network effect around themselves and their content, and the bigger the audience, the harder it is to compete with such an Influencer.
On the other hand these days technology is available to everyone, but that just increases competition and you can't get a lot of traffic overnight.
Emperor Gladiator Commodus. 700+ fights
Commodus was a Roman emperor who ruled from 177 until his assassination in 192.
How did Emperor Commodus push his brand?
He participated in gladiatorial combat and fought over 700 bouts.
When one is not doing well with rankings they enter the arena on their own and start generating content.
In those days, the Colosseum was the heart of Ancient Rome. If you win attention in the Colosseum, you win the attention of all of Rome.
How did Emperor Commodus push his brand?
He participated in gladiatorial combat and fought over 700 bouts.
When one is not doing well with rankings they enter the arena on their own and start generating content.
In those days, the Colosseum was the heart of Ancient Rome. If you win attention in the Colosseum, you win the attention of all of Rome.
And what could be cooler than if the emperor himself picked up a sword and went into battle?
Obviously, that wasn't very fair, and his opponents were probably weakened before the fights.
But it's still a pretty illustrative example.
Obviously, that wasn't very fair, and his opponents were probably weakened before the fights.
But it's still a pretty illustrative example.
The transformation of the gladiator's personal brand in Ancient Rome
The gladiator was originally a slave, but through his battles in the Colosseum, he could gain his freedom.
People were attracted to this transformation from a slave gladiator to a free person. And here we see that the techniques of storytelling were actively used even then.
An example of a film adaptation of such a gladiator story is the movie Gladiator.
It was as if the gladiator was saying, “I will put my life on the line in exchange for the opportunity to gain my freedom”.
And the problem with anyone trying to create their Instagram blog and build a personal brand is that they are trying to attract a lot of traffic by “killing the mosquito”.
Alas, this is not the way how it works, you need to make a “feat”. A hero becomes a hero when he defeats a beast and not a mosquito.
So if you are creating a blog and personal brand, you need to come up with “your gladiator story”.
So as I wrote above, conquer the Colosseum as the heart of Ancient Rome and you will conquer all of Rome.
If you can attract enough traffic you will definitely be successful.
I have one favorite traffic joke, but it's a bit vulgar.
A girl is packing a bag for a camping trip. Her mother comes up to her and asks:
- You're going camping right? You probably need a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and so on. And all you put in your bag is a thong!
- Mom, I'm going camping with the boys. If there's a thong, there'll be a tent, a sleeping bag, a sleeping pad, and other things.
That's why I always say the most important thing is to learn how to attract traffic. 😉
People were attracted to this transformation from a slave gladiator to a free person. And here we see that the techniques of storytelling were actively used even then.
An example of a film adaptation of such a gladiator story is the movie Gladiator.
It was as if the gladiator was saying, “I will put my life on the line in exchange for the opportunity to gain my freedom”.
And the problem with anyone trying to create their Instagram blog and build a personal brand is that they are trying to attract a lot of traffic by “killing the mosquito”.
Alas, this is not the way how it works, you need to make a “feat”. A hero becomes a hero when he defeats a beast and not a mosquito.
So if you are creating a blog and personal brand, you need to come up with “your gladiator story”.
So as I wrote above, conquer the Colosseum as the heart of Ancient Rome and you will conquer all of Rome.
If you can attract enough traffic you will definitely be successful.
I have one favorite traffic joke, but it's a bit vulgar.
A girl is packing a bag for a camping trip. Her mother comes up to her and asks:
- You're going camping right? You probably need a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and so on. And all you put in your bag is a thong!
- Mom, I'm going camping with the boys. If there's a thong, there'll be a tent, a sleeping bag, a sleeping pad, and other things.
That's why I always say the most important thing is to learn how to attract traffic. 😉
Showing cases through images using the Punic Wars as an example
The Punic Wars were a series of wars between 264 and 146 BC fought between the Roman Republic and Ancient Carthage.
It was one of Ancient Rome's first iconic wars which they won.
Also, it was about Hannibal who was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War.
I found an example in the movie “Gladiator”, where in one of the fragments of the movie the slaves are taken into the Сoliseum, and the herald announces that these are Hannibal's barbarians of ancient Carthage. Then the Roman chariots are out and announce that these are honorable Roman warriors, etc. And then these Roman soldiers kill these slaves.
The main idea is that an ordinary citizen of ancient Rome could think that this information is not important to him, some Hannibal, some barbarians, “Who cares?”.
But when it was shown in the format of a show in the Coliseum arena, it allowed to better deliver propaganda to the people of Ancient Rome that, let's say, "Rome is cool, we are the strongest and we defeat everyone, the rest are barbarians, and our ruler is also good".
It was one of Ancient Rome's first iconic wars which they won.
Also, it was about Hannibal who was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War.
I found an example in the movie “Gladiator”, where in one of the fragments of the movie the slaves are taken into the Сoliseum, and the herald announces that these are Hannibal's barbarians of ancient Carthage. Then the Roman chariots are out and announce that these are honorable Roman warriors, etc. And then these Roman soldiers kill these slaves.
The main idea is that an ordinary citizen of ancient Rome could think that this information is not important to him, some Hannibal, some barbarians, “Who cares?”.
But when it was shown in the format of a show in the Coliseum arena, it allowed to better deliver propaganda to the people of Ancient Rome that, let's say, "Rome is cool, we are the strongest and we defeat everyone, the rest are barbarians, and our ruler is also good".
5. How brands were promoted in Ancient Rome
Let's break down what marketing tactics and promotional methods were used by the Ancient Romans.
Giveaway in ancient times
Emperor Commodus had a bad reputation among his citizens, so he decided that the easiest way to improve the situation was to give away the money.
But the problem was that it was important for people to know who had given them the money.
So he produced a coin with his image on it so that people would know who had given them the money. 😆😆😆😆
But the problem was that it was important for people to know who had given them the money.
So he produced a coin with his image on it so that people would know who had given them the money. 😆😆😆😆
Emperor Augustus's promotion strategy
Emperor Augustus, also known as Octavian, was the founder of the Roman Empire. He reigned as the first Roman emperor.
He lived about 75 years, which was quite a long time by the measures of those times.
At a certain period of his reign, being already in age, he decided that it was necessary to make more than 200 statues and place them throughout the empire so that the inhabitants knew that the emperor was forever young, strong, powerful, and so on.
He lived about 75 years, which was quite a long time by the measures of those times.
At a certain period of his reign, being already in age, he decided that it was necessary to make more than 200 statues and place them throughout the empire so that the inhabitants knew that the emperor was forever young, strong, powerful, and so on.
How brothels were advertised in ancient Rome
It was very simple, “The brothel is over there”. 😄😄😄
Not everyone could read the text but everyone understood the images.
The first time I saw it, it blew my mind. 😅
Because it happens that I usually do some kind of marketing campaign and I start to put hidden meanings and so on... But what if the best thing to do is to make it simpler, like they did in ancient Rome, "Not everyone can read but everyone can understand"? 😉
That is, as in the images, the pointer is obviously shaped, and where it points to is where you should go. Those who needed it understood. 😆
Or an image that is more eloquent than any lettering on signs. 😄
So when you create an ad, remember this example.
The first time I saw it, it blew my mind. 😅
Because it happens that I usually do some kind of marketing campaign and I start to put hidden meanings and so on... But what if the best thing to do is to make it simpler, like they did in ancient Rome, "Not everyone can read but everyone can understand"? 😉
That is, as in the images, the pointer is obviously shaped, and where it points to is where you should go. Those who needed it understood. 😆
Or an image that is more eloquent than any lettering on signs. 😄
So when you create an ad, remember this example.
Ancient Rome's marketing brand
This is a unique enough phenomenon.
The first thing any brand includes is the principles by which we live our lives.
People ask themselves the question, “How do I live my life?” every day.
Previously, religion answered these questions by telling us what to do, what is good and what is bad, now brands tell us what is good and what is bad.
Imagine that your mindset is this big closet with boxes. And each shelf is some category of some notional problems, goods, and so on. If we're talking about electric cars you would immediately think of Tesla. If we talk about the luxury segment, you may have in your mind the names of some brands of clothes, things, jewelry, or accessories. If we are talking about home goods you may remember IKEA. And so on, these are just examples, many of which can be given, but you get the point.
The idea is that each brand or perhaps a few brands have taken up a shelf of some category.
And so each brand competes to occupy that box in your mindset.
At the same time, brands act as it was in ancient Rome, as it would say “Those who are with us they are good, those who are against us they are from the evil one”.
And if you look carefully you can see the constant competition between brands, Coca-Cola and Pepsi, Android and IOS, Mercedes and BMW, and so on.
In general, a good brand has both fans and haters.
For example, I don’t understand people who for 20000 dollars buy a bag, well it's kind of silly I think. But some women will tell me, “It's buddy, you're silly”. 😄😄😄
And that means the brand has completed its goal.
The first thing any brand includes is the principles by which we live our lives.
People ask themselves the question, “How do I live my life?” every day.
Previously, religion answered these questions by telling us what to do, what is good and what is bad, now brands tell us what is good and what is bad.
Imagine that your mindset is this big closet with boxes. And each shelf is some category of some notional problems, goods, and so on. If we're talking about electric cars you would immediately think of Tesla. If we talk about the luxury segment, you may have in your mind the names of some brands of clothes, things, jewelry, or accessories. If we are talking about home goods you may remember IKEA. And so on, these are just examples, many of which can be given, but you get the point.
The idea is that each brand or perhaps a few brands have taken up a shelf of some category.
And so each brand competes to occupy that box in your mindset.
At the same time, brands act as it was in ancient Rome, as it would say “Those who are with us they are good, those who are against us they are from the evil one”.
And if you look carefully you can see the constant competition between brands, Coca-Cola and Pepsi, Android and IOS, Mercedes and BMW, and so on.
In general, a good brand has both fans and haters.
For example, I don’t understand people who for 20000 dollars buy a bag, well it's kind of silly I think. But some women will tell me, “It's buddy, you're silly”. 😄😄😄
And that means the brand has completed its goal.
Community Status. Citizenship in Ancient Rome was a privilege.
According to the law, any citizen of ancient Rome, even the poorest, could not become dependent on another person, be subjected to corporal punishment (torture), be sentenced to death, or be exiled without the agreement of the citizens' meeting.
To obtain citizenship of ancient Rome, one had to serve in the auxiliary units of the Roman army for a few decades and survive, or obtain it collectively, as residents of a municipality - a self-governing city, or by armed rebellion, as the Italian allies did in 88 BC.
Having citizenship of Ancient Rome was like being Employee #7 at Google or the “PayPal Mafia”.
When you do some startup you can give out equity options to your employees, and the earlier a person comes in the more they have a stake in the company.
The first 100 employees at Google had a very small % but they all became millionaires.
In 2004 when Google went IPO (initial public offering), people joked that there were truckloads of expensive cars coming from San Francisco to Palo Alto.
You also have to realize that it's a status. If you go to LinkedIn, people say “Was #7 Developer at Google” or “Marketing Director at Google”, and so on.
The "PayPal Mafia" is a group of former PayPal employees and founders who have since founded and/or developed additional technology companies based in Silicon Valley, such as Tesla, Inc., LinkedIn, Palantir Technologies, SpaceX, Affirm, Slide, Kiva, YouTube, Yelp, and Yammer. Most of the members attended Stanford University or University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign at some point in their studies.
To obtain citizenship of ancient Rome, one had to serve in the auxiliary units of the Roman army for a few decades and survive, or obtain it collectively, as residents of a municipality - a self-governing city, or by armed rebellion, as the Italian allies did in 88 BC.
Having citizenship of Ancient Rome was like being Employee #7 at Google or the “PayPal Mafia”.
When you do some startup you can give out equity options to your employees, and the earlier a person comes in the more they have a stake in the company.
The first 100 employees at Google had a very small % but they all became millionaires.
In 2004 when Google went IPO (initial public offering), people joked that there were truckloads of expensive cars coming from San Francisco to Palo Alto.
You also have to realize that it's a status. If you go to LinkedIn, people say “Was #7 Developer at Google” or “Marketing Director at Google”, and so on.
The "PayPal Mafia" is a group of former PayPal employees and founders who have since founded and/or developed additional technology companies based in Silicon Valley, such as Tesla, Inc., LinkedIn, Palantir Technologies, SpaceX, Affirm, Slide, Kiva, YouTube, Yelp, and Yammer. Most of the members attended Stanford University or University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign at some point in their studies.
Brand Attributes
In Ancient Rome, building a brand structure was essential, and what's more remarkable is that it has survived to this day. Everyone knows what a Roman soldier looked like.
When I attend some IT conferences, I always see people wearing hoodies with the company logo, and they are quite proud of it.
Moreover, I played soccer, and I remember when we were given sports suits with the emblem of our soccer club. You know what I wore to school the next day?
I went in this sports suit, thinking that now all the girls would see me in this suit with the logo, realize that I play for this soccer club, and think I'm cool. 😅
Still, this logo meant a lot to me. As it was said on our team at the time, “The club emblem on the front is more important than the surname on the back”.
When I attend some IT conferences, I always see people wearing hoodies with the company logo, and they are quite proud of it.
Moreover, I played soccer, and I remember when we were given sports suits with the emblem of our soccer club. You know what I wore to school the next day?
I went in this sports suit, thinking that now all the girls would see me in this suit with the logo, realize that I play for this soccer club, and think I'm cool. 😅
Still, this logo meant a lot to me. As it was said on our team at the time, “The club emblem on the front is more important than the surname on the back”.
Architecture and Aqueducts as a symbol of prosperity
As I wrote above, when an empire develops, it has more resources and can develop infrastructure and science more comprehensively. Developed infrastructure provides a higher quality of life, which in itself is an attractive factor and works as a soft power.
And accordingly, when Ancient Rome carried out their conquests they would come and say “We'll beat you anyway, but along with that we'll bring you aqueducts, libraries, etc.”
Imagine how earlier rumors might have gone “ Imagine they can have a bath every day!”.
That is, a higher quality of life was the point of the offer.
And so when you have a notional “Google office” it's much easier to attract employees.
I remember the first time I went to work for a famous architect, he had a big cool office in the center of the city, and I felt cool because I worked in such a cool place.
Recently trends have been changing and we can now all afford to be in the same infrastructure as the notional “Google Office”, but 15 years ago this was not the case. These days the cool thing is when you say you can work remotely from anywhere in the world, with flexible hours, etc.
And accordingly, when Ancient Rome carried out their conquests they would come and say “We'll beat you anyway, but along with that we'll bring you aqueducts, libraries, etc.”
Imagine how earlier rumors might have gone “ Imagine they can have a bath every day!”.
That is, a higher quality of life was the point of the offer.
And so when you have a notional “Google office” it's much easier to attract employees.
I remember the first time I went to work for a famous architect, he had a big cool office in the center of the city, and I felt cool because I worked in such a cool place.
Recently trends have been changing and we can now all afford to be in the same infrastructure as the notional “Google Office”, but 15 years ago this was not the case. These days the cool thing is when you say you can work remotely from anywhere in the world, with flexible hours, etc.
Content Marketing by Julius Caesar
Everyone knows Julius Caesar as a great general, but no one thinks that he was actually a great marketer.
When he conquered Gaul he wrote detailed “Notes on the Gallic War” (“Commentarii de Bello Gallico”). 8 books on his wars in Gaul, 58–52 BC, including the 2 expeditions to Britain 55–54, and 3 on the civil war of 49–48. Can you imagine this at the time?!
It's actually Stories Highlights with cases.
And of course, in these books, he told how great he was, and since there was not a lot of content, everyone read and thought he was the only one so great.
When he conquered Gaul he wrote detailed “Notes on the Gallic War” (“Commentarii de Bello Gallico”). 8 books on his wars in Gaul, 58–52 BC, including the 2 expeditions to Britain 55–54, and 3 on the civil war of 49–48. Can you imagine this at the time?!
It's actually Stories Highlights with cases.
And of course, in these books, he told how great he was, and since there was not a lot of content, everyone read and thought he was the only one so great.
Aulus Umbricius Scaurus
Aulus Umbricis Scaurus was a Pompeiian manufacturer-merchant, known for the production of garum and liquamen a staple of Roman cuisine.
Just imagine the details of his brand have survived to this day!
So he also did inscriptions on amphorae, and this is what he wrote:
“Do not accept calices born of some cheap dust, but rather the smooth shaping of a Surrentine potter’s wheel”.
Another inscription reads:
“Are you drinking Surrentine wines? Don’t take up cups of mottled agate or a gold one—these wines will provide you with their own calices”.
Note that Surrentine refers to a person or object made in Surrentum.
The first epigram deals with branding through packaging, claiming that all other calices produced in Surrentum are low-quality.
So in this content, they devalued someone else's brand and extolled their own.
Let's summarize what has been discussed in the article:
- Everything new is the well-forgotten old
In general, people don't need a new story, they need the same old Cinderella story but in a new package. The Cinderella scenario will always be relevant.
- What have people been spending money on for the last 2000 years?
Most likely the essence of the problem remains but is solved by modern methods, and people are spending money on it even now.
- Marketing always has been and always will be
- Mass marketing is always primitive and easy to understand
“I put up a column, look how cool I am”, ‘The brothel is over there’, ‘Whoever gave you the coins is the best’. Keep things as simple, clear, and quick to understand as possible. This principle has worked at all times.
Just imagine the details of his brand have survived to this day!
So he also did inscriptions on amphorae, and this is what he wrote:
“Do not accept calices born of some cheap dust, but rather the smooth shaping of a Surrentine potter’s wheel”.
Another inscription reads:
“Are you drinking Surrentine wines? Don’t take up cups of mottled agate or a gold one—these wines will provide you with their own calices”.
Note that Surrentine refers to a person or object made in Surrentum.
The first epigram deals with branding through packaging, claiming that all other calices produced in Surrentum are low-quality.
So in this content, they devalued someone else's brand and extolled their own.
Let's summarize what has been discussed in the article:
- Everything new is the well-forgotten old
In general, people don't need a new story, they need the same old Cinderella story but in a new package. The Cinderella scenario will always be relevant.
- What have people been spending money on for the last 2000 years?
Most likely the essence of the problem remains but is solved by modern methods, and people are spending money on it even now.
- Marketing always has been and always will be
- Mass marketing is always primitive and easy to understand
“I put up a column, look how cool I am”, ‘The brothel is over there’, ‘Whoever gave you the coins is the best’. Keep things as simple, clear, and quick to understand as possible. This principle has worked at all times.