Many marketing books will tell you that an attention grabbing headline is required for advertising copy, print articles and even blogs. However one headline I read recently made me smile; and think. It said -
'Everything You've Ever Learned About Marketing Is WRONG!'
– and then it had a sub-title that amused me. It said –
'Beat Your Competition into A Demoralized Quivering Pulp'
The accompanying picture was of a very angry man wagging his finger contemptuously at the reader. The ad was for a free CD program. It's hard to say what level of response this ad may have attracted but the target audience was clear – angry and fearful people; people who would find this ad appealing because they feel so insecure about themselves.
"CRUSH THE COMPETITION, drive them screaming in to the hills and then I will dominate the world!" (accompanied by an evil laugh and toss of the head). Would this style of ad attract you? And would you like your customers to view you as a competition crusher? Don't you think there is a certain kind of twisted mindset that finds this appealing?
However, on the flip side, there are also people with mindsets that work better, are easier to deal with and leave you feeling fulfilled about your marketing.
If I had a conversation with the man in the ad – let's say his name is Doug – I wonder how he might view ads that DON'T appeal to slicing the competition up in to little bite-size pieces.
"Are you crazy?" Doug might say. "It's dog-eat-dog in the tough, non-compromising, cut-throat world of business. Ads have to slaughter the competition and leave them in a bloodied pulp. That's how victories are won."
Hmmm. Interesting philosophy. "Well, Doug, you might win a few customers in the short term but how many enemies will you create?"
"Oh don't give me that win:win bullshit," rages Doug. "You can't all be winners, it's the last man standing, it's Darwin's theory of evolution and it's only the tough that survive. Don't you watch Survivor?"
Well, I tend to get put off by programs that promote the 'last man standing' mentality because the formula wears a bit thin. Gordon Ramsay has the same old rage. Donald Trump has the same old expression as though he is sucking on lemons. Television shows that pretend to be creating champions but are really pushing a theme of 'win at all costs' are not ones I watch. The mentality is short-sighted, limited and on a single raging track.
Doug is pretty fired up now. "LIMITING!" he spits, "Winning is the ONLY thing that counts. No-one remembers the name of the person who came second at the Olympics! Winning is King, who needs losers? I want to be a winner. I want to be Donald Trump; he's my hero!"
Geez. Doug is pretty fired up about winning. But his winning is really about NOT losing. I am in marketing because I believe that marketing has winning formulas, that winning is actually part of the game. But at ALL costs? Even reputation and customers? That's just BAD business.
Often the biggest competition is ourselves. It's when we don't make the effort; we procrastinate, we allow indifference or resistance to win. Because quite honestly there IS enough business to go around if we can conquer our own self-sabotage.
"Hell, you don't EVER admit your weaknesses," rages Doug on his soapbox. "You'll be gobbled up and spat out by the big guys. You need to always show strength no matter how weak you feel otherwise you'll be LUNCH!"
Maybe Doug needs to think about WHY he thinks this way? What kind of person would be so worried about competition? What kind of person would have to succeed no matter the cost? Would it be the sort of person who is insecure? The sort of person who had something to prove, who lacked confidence and didn't feel that their products or services were of enough value to adequately compete?
The 'Beat Your Competition' mentality is limiting and can be very destructive. Marketing is not about demolishing the competition. Sure, you need to know what your competition is doing; you need to deliver your products and services better than the competition. But you don’t need to come across as Goliath annihilating everything in your path. Attract business with quality, convenience, innovation, an excellent customer experience and authentic credibility.
'Everything You've Ever Learned About Marketing Is WRONG!'
– and then it had a sub-title that amused me. It said –
'Beat Your Competition into A Demoralized Quivering Pulp'
The accompanying picture was of a very angry man wagging his finger contemptuously at the reader. The ad was for a free CD program. It's hard to say what level of response this ad may have attracted but the target audience was clear – angry and fearful people; people who would find this ad appealing because they feel so insecure about themselves.
"CRUSH THE COMPETITION, drive them screaming in to the hills and then I will dominate the world!" (accompanied by an evil laugh and toss of the head). Would this style of ad attract you? And would you like your customers to view you as a competition crusher? Don't you think there is a certain kind of twisted mindset that finds this appealing?
However, on the flip side, there are also people with mindsets that work better, are easier to deal with and leave you feeling fulfilled about your marketing.
If I had a conversation with the man in the ad – let's say his name is Doug – I wonder how he might view ads that DON'T appeal to slicing the competition up in to little bite-size pieces.
"Are you crazy?" Doug might say. "It's dog-eat-dog in the tough, non-compromising, cut-throat world of business. Ads have to slaughter the competition and leave them in a bloodied pulp. That's how victories are won."
Hmmm. Interesting philosophy. "Well, Doug, you might win a few customers in the short term but how many enemies will you create?"
"Oh don't give me that win:win bullshit," rages Doug. "You can't all be winners, it's the last man standing, it's Darwin's theory of evolution and it's only the tough that survive. Don't you watch Survivor?"
Well, I tend to get put off by programs that promote the 'last man standing' mentality because the formula wears a bit thin. Gordon Ramsay has the same old rage. Donald Trump has the same old expression as though he is sucking on lemons. Television shows that pretend to be creating champions but are really pushing a theme of 'win at all costs' are not ones I watch. The mentality is short-sighted, limited and on a single raging track.
Doug is pretty fired up now. "LIMITING!" he spits, "Winning is the ONLY thing that counts. No-one remembers the name of the person who came second at the Olympics! Winning is King, who needs losers? I want to be a winner. I want to be Donald Trump; he's my hero!"
Geez. Doug is pretty fired up about winning. But his winning is really about NOT losing. I am in marketing because I believe that marketing has winning formulas, that winning is actually part of the game. But at ALL costs? Even reputation and customers? That's just BAD business.
Often the biggest competition is ourselves. It's when we don't make the effort; we procrastinate, we allow indifference or resistance to win. Because quite honestly there IS enough business to go around if we can conquer our own self-sabotage.
"Hell, you don't EVER admit your weaknesses," rages Doug on his soapbox. "You'll be gobbled up and spat out by the big guys. You need to always show strength no matter how weak you feel otherwise you'll be LUNCH!"
Maybe Doug needs to think about WHY he thinks this way? What kind of person would be so worried about competition? What kind of person would have to succeed no matter the cost? Would it be the sort of person who is insecure? The sort of person who had something to prove, who lacked confidence and didn't feel that their products or services were of enough value to adequately compete?
The 'Beat Your Competition' mentality is limiting and can be very destructive. Marketing is not about demolishing the competition. Sure, you need to know what your competition is doing; you need to deliver your products and services better than the competition. But you don’t need to come across as Goliath annihilating everything in your path. Attract business with quality, convenience, innovation, an excellent customer experience and authentic credibility.
FREE YOURSELF FROM LIMITING MARKETING BEHAVIOUR!
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