Being Different

You’re special, did you know that? Some (like probably your Mom) would say “unique” and no one sees or does things quite like you. bottes ugg bailey button pas cher In marketing & communications, our goal is almost always some sort of “differentiation” expressed as “how do we make our organizations and clients stand apart from competitors in the minds of those they are trying to reach?” …And it’s the million dollar question, baby.  How indeed. You know, Donald J. Trump was a very different kind of presidential candidate. Just a few years ago, you could tune in and see him fire people on NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice and now the American people have voted this outsider to the highest seat of power in the free world. adidas zx 850 Just FYI — the new host is Arnold Schwarzenegger so obviously we’re grooming our next world leader right there on NBC’s Sunday nights. nike air max 1 Apple is different than other technology companies mainly in that it never really considered itself a tech company — more a problem solver for people frustrated BY technology companies.  ….And that reputation has made them the largest and most powerful company on planet Earth. So we could say that different is good, right?  Not so fast. I think it is and it isn’t.   Being perceived as different in the marketplace can be good when it creates a unique position (and thus fewer choices) in the consumer’s mind leading to a direct purchase. You want a LayBag inflatable couch thing for your pool in early 2016 — there’s only that one out there so you have that one choice. louboutin chaussures Of course, cheaper copycats will come a clawing for your business soon enough. air jordan 14 retro nike air max pas cher But being different is also difficult. Human beings as a whole resist the idea as demonstrated beautifully in the movie Dead Poets Society in the scene where the boys all started off walking in a circle with different strides and steps, but quickly began to march together and even clap in unison. Something about that just feels better to us. air max 90 femme And because of it, when you get what you’re finally after in marketing, it’s going to feel weird, too.  Alone, apart and sometimes challenged and ridiculed by those not brave enough to stand apart. Getting your differentiation can be an uncomfortable position and it truly does take courage to withstand the scrutiny and be that way. So different is good, yet uncomfortable, but still good so we should do it?  I’m going to give the consultant’s answer and say “it depends.”  It really depends on you and your courage, which seems like an odd thing to mention in a marketing story, but I believe that it takes courage to do something truly great in this world. ugg noir Chaussure Asics Gel Noosa Tri 11 Something really different.