This week’s Tuesday 2¢ thought is not as half-baked as usual, as someone else did the baking and… well…. I’ve nicked it….
This idea is ENTIRELY stolen from a recent podcast interview on the Uncensored CMO podcast, in which the host (and accomplished CMO) Jon Evans chats with Greg Hahn, the Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Mischief. And I don’t mean “inspired by” – I mean completely nicked, stolen, lifted; a five-finger content discount.
Yes, as a chap with a suitcase of perfume on the corner of Oxford Street will tell you, it’s not fake, mate; it’s real, it’s nicked.
I would like to encourage you to listen to the podcast as an atonement for my thievery (there is a link here to not only the podcast but also some other research to support the premise).
It’s a fascinating conversation with the founder of an agency that is part of the No Fixed Abode agency, who I believe had the tagline “What would you do if you weren’t afraid” (totally nicking that too).
Anyway, back to the idea they shared
“You don’t have the budget to be boring”
Or, as I’ve interpreted it, like a dodgy respray of a stolen car:
You can’t afford to be dull.
In my world of B2B marketing, we tend to err on the side of safety to look and sound like the others in our category, and “messaging research” often consists of looking at all of our competitors’ websites.
What does Ernormocompetitor Inc. do?
That’s got to be a safe bet. Right?
(Speaking of nicking stuff!)
I’ve talked about differentiation before in this Tuesday 2¢ series, for example, in Same But Distinct, so I won’t repeat that rant.
Of course, we fear being too different and not appearing like the others in our category. We believe the buyer won’t be able to find us, and we are scaring people away in our misguided attempt to cast our net as wide as possible and be all things to all buyers.
What I love about these chaps’ take on the podcast is the reminder that being dull and uninteresting is NOT safe, primarily because it’s a complete waste of f**king money.
If you are not distinct and easily remembered, you will need to be repetitive and drive home your brand message using the strategy of Chinese water torture to gain brand recall.
(A particularly cruel and long-lasting form of torture involving a constant drip of water on the head of the victim).
Plus, if we look at reach, if you are boring, you are doing this alone.
Nobody is lifting your brand by sharing your content.
By offending no one, you are not creating fans or “sneezers,” as the good Reverand Godin preaches.
So that’s more heavy lifting for your under-pressure and hard-earned budget to gain awareness and trust.
In the world of B2Biege marketing (although mostly it’s blue), it strikes me that our FOFU (Fear of F**king Up) should be a morbid fear of being boring, playing it safe, and then pissing our money away.
That’s my thought for this week, but sssshhhhh…. don’t tell Jon Evans I nicked it.
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I’m a 3xCMO, now a marketing strategy advisor and podcast host at Rockstar CMO. Although, I’m not a rock star, but a marketing leader, strategist, content marketer, columnist, speaker, industry watcher, and creator of ART (Awareness, Revenue, and Trust) for the companies I work with. But most of all, I am an enthusiastic tea drinker.
You can find me on LinkedIn, Twitter, or now Threads! – or listen to my weekly podcast at Rockstarcmo.com
The half-baked thoughts shared on this blog may not reflect those of my employer or clients, and if the topic of this article is interesting or you just want to say hello please get in touch.