Groundhog Day of Business Marketing

I woke up this morning at the same time, with the same song on the radio, and the same weather outside. In fact, Ned Ryerson was outside waiting to tell me “it’s a doozy” about something.

I wipe my eyes, pinch myself, and say detective, let’s not celebrate Groundhog Day today, let’s celebrate the fact that so many brands are stuck in G-day when it comes to their marketing. Did I say celebrate?

Err, what?

Yeah, you heard me—celebrate?

Why celebrate a cluster of sameness? Because, this gives you, the outside-the-box marketer, the opportunity to be different—to challenge the norm and not follow the same pathway as every other brand in front of you.

Some may argue that recreating the wheel in marketing seems like a waste of money, time and a risky decision; however, viral ideas are the ones that truly get people talking. And viral, in many instances, happens when the norm is challenged.

I have said this before, but look at any house ad and chances are it’s a picture of a house. Look at a franchise ad, and it’s a picture of a building suggesting that the point of differentiation is superior support. Look at that car ad in front of every magazine and convince me the picture isn’t blurry and talking about luxury or something like that.

A sea of sameness. A sea of groundhogs.

Brands are stuck doing the same things over and over and over and over. Far too many are afraid to experiment with something different—something meaningful, something progressive, something impactful. Are you? Are you afraid? Are you afraid to try something different?

Many brands love Groundhog Day because it provides them with an opportunity to celebrate their being—to celebrate the same thing happening over and over again. But, you, if you have made it this far are at least thinking about how you can make some slight changes and take a risk.

How? You may ask? That’s the tough part. But, a little creativity and a simple message can get you started.

How would someone sell you? How do your friends sell you? Through people and a human connection—the referral. Throw away your ad plastered with a logo that means nothing to your customer (no one cares about your logo—they care about what your business stands for). Put people in it. Put a customer in it. Do covers of magazines put a giant building on the cover? No, they put the CEO. Follow the lead of communications.

Second, take a connected approach to your message. Can it live on your social media pages? Can your PR team pitch it? Can you market it in your stores? Advertising fails when a message is one dimensional. Great communication works when it’s set-up like a Jenga game—there are lots of pieces working together, but the second you pull one away, the campaign can get messed up. It also works when you can look at your campaign and trust that the whole package is working, not just single pieces.

And lastly, make people smile. If people don’t smile when they see your ad (test it out with the receptionist, the IT guy, the mailman, or whoever) then there probably isn’t a strong enough connection. Some may say that the mailman is not your target. Sure, that may be true, but the mailman’s smile may lead to the mailman telling a friend one-degree separated that the ad resonated with him. That’s the full-circle referral.

Don’t get stuck in Groundhog Day. Dare to be different. The worst thing that could happen is you remain in the same, exact place with your advertising.

Tomorrow, I will wake up at a new time.