Seth's Blog : The challenge of excess capacity

The challenge of excess capacity

Marketing as we know it happened because of machines. Machines made factories dramatically more efficient, which meant that producers could no longer easily sell everything they made. When you go from making four ceramic plates a day to 4,000, your capacity starts to look like a problem.

That’s a new challenge. A farmer could figure out how to use every bit of fertile soil available.

CBS TV didn’t have excess capacity. There are only 24 hours in a day, and they could only broadcast one at a time. YouTube, on the other hand, makes almost all of its decisions based on their unlimited capacity to host video.

The challenge of infinity is contagious. While freelancers are fully booked, most have hours each day unspoken for. An unspoken hour of capacity can feel like a burden.

The quest for more is seductive.

But what happens when we accept that capacity might not be excess? It might simply be capacity.

How do we start to see our way toward better, not simply more?