1851

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 &ldquo;it&rsquo;s a doozy&rdquo; about something.

I wipe my eyes, pinch myself, and say detective, let&rsquo;s not celebrate Groundhog Day today, let&rsquo;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&mdash;celebrate?

Why celebrate a cluster of sameness? Because, this gives you, the outside-the-box marketer, the opportunity to be different&mdash;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&rsquo;s a picture of a house. Look at a franchise ad, and it&rsquo;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&rsquo;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&mdash;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&mdash;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&rsquo;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&mdash;the referral. Throw away your ad plastered with a logo that means nothing to your customer (no one cares about your logo&mdash;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&rsquo;s set-up like a Jenga game&mdash;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&rsquo;t smile when they see your ad (test it out with the receptionist, the IT guy, the mailman, or whoever) then there probably isn&rsquo;t a strong enough connection. Some may say that the mailman is not your target. Sure, that may be true, but the mailman&rsquo;s smile may lead to the mailman telling a friend one-degree separated that the ad resonated with him. That&rsquo;s the full-circle referral.

Don&rsquo;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.

No Limit Agency | 10th Anniversary | Rising Stars in Franchising | 1851 Franchise

1851 Franchise

Recreating the wheel in marketing may seem like a waste of money, but viral ideas are the ones that truly get people talking. And viral, in many instances, happens when the norm is challenged.


This brand page has been paid for by 1851. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

Groundhog Day of Business Marketing

groundhog-day-of-business-marketing

TruBlue Home Service Ally

TruBlue Franchisees Champion Fall Prevention To Keep Seniors Safe at Home

trublue-franchisees-champion-fall-prevention-to-keep-seniors-safe-at-home

Pet Wants

FOX Reno: Summer Pet Safety With Pet Wants of Sparks

fox-summer-pet-safety-with-pet-wants-sparks

Workout Anytime

Workout Anytime Teams Up with Viral Baseball Star Kyle “KJ” Jackson to Inspire Fitness Journeys Nationwide

workout-anytime-teams-up-with-viral-baseball-star-kyle-kj-jackson-to-inspire-fitness-journeys-nationwide

Sola Salons

1851 Franchise Deep Dive graphic with Sola Salons logo

Sola Salons Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

franchise-deep-dive-sola-salons-franchise-costs-fees-profit-and-data

Paris Baguette Canada

image of paris baguette cake and franchise decorations

What Canadian Franchisees Want to Know: Paris Baguette Profit Potential and Franchisee Support

paris-baguette-franchise-canada-profit-support

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Development Website Builder

Franchise Resources

What ALEC-Laffer's Report Means for Franchising

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

1851 Login

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

Power Eats: Smoothie King Rolls Out Food Nationwide To Fuel Franchise Growth

smoothie-king-food-menu-power-eats

Keurig Dr Pepper Splits in $18 Billion JDE Peet’s Deal, Creating Global Coffee Giant

keurig-dr-pepper-splits-in-18-billion-jde-peets-deal-creating-global-coffee-giant

McDonald’s Rolls Out Major Value Push To Win Back Customers Amid Inflation

mcdonalds-rolls-out-major-value-push-to-win-back-customers-amid-inflation

Photo of Paris Baguette pastries and beverages 

Paris Baguette Celebrates 250th Café Opening in Frederick, Maryland, Accelerating Expansion and Reviving the Neighborhood Bakery Café

paris-baguette-250th-north-america-cafe

Restaurant Chains Open Their Wallets To Jump-Start Franchise Growth - 1851 Franchise

Restaurant Chains Open Their Wallets To Jump-Start Franchise Growth

restaurant-franchise-incentives-cash-royalty-holidays-fee-reductions

1851 Keyword - The Secret To Succeeding With a Part-Time Franchise Is Picking the Right Model

The Secret To Succeeding With a Part-Time Franchise Is Picking the Right Model

part-time-franchises-picking-the-right-model

"Top 15 Health & Wellness Franchises" note against blue and purple background

Top 15 Health and Wellness Franchises Opportunities for 2025

top-health-and-wellness-franchises

Image of four people in a room. One, wearing an orange shirt, appears to be presenting to the others

Happinest Brands’ Comprehensive, Transparent Approach to Franchise Growth

happinest-brands-transparent-franchise-growth

Franchise Opportunities With High Success Rates - 1851 Franchise

Top Franchise Opportunities With High Success Rates

top-franchise-opportunities-with-high-success-rates

Hooters Leans Into Franchising With Closure of 30 Company-Owned Stores - Agg - 1851 Franchise

Hooters Leans Into Franchising With Closure of 30 Company-Owned Stores

hooters-franchise-model-company-owned-closures

graphic image of a franchisee spotligh aman kaur of voodoo brewing

How This Trio of Friends Is Brewing Up Community With Voodoo Brewing Co. in Prosper, Texas

voodoo-brewing-franchisee-aman-kaur-prosper-texas

Franchise Deep Dive graphic with i9 Sports logo

i9 Sports Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

i9-sports-franchise-cost-fees-profit

Hely and Hiral Patel Bring Their Longtime Dream to Life With The Brass Tap

brass-tap-franchise-pasadena-maryland-hely-hiral-patel

1851 Franchisee Spotlight graphic with photo of Dan Ellestad and Seniors Helping Seniors logo

How This Marine Veteran Went From Military Service to Senior Care and Found His Purpose in Franchising

seniors-helping-seniors-dan-ellestad

Groundhog Day of Business Marketing

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS