The very nature of good marketing is that it needs to be different enough to capture your target audience’s attention. If everyone in your market is using the same approach, how do you or any of your competitors expect to stand out?
Many years ago one of my colleagues worked in a young marketing and advertising firm of up-and-coming “creative.” He related how it had been fun designing new and different/unusual campaigns for clients, some of whom were naturally a little (or a lot) hesitant to go with such unorthodox marketing concepts.
Those “visionary” clients who let his team of young "bucks" have their way were provided with some very unique and award-winning campaigns…campaigns that got (often dramatic) results. The funny thing was that other companies would then come to the firm and want to use the very same approach and ad design for themselves that their initial client was already using.
Safe and Sorry
Their reasoning was basic, predictable, and, sadly, understandable. They knew the approach had worked, and so there was no risk (now…in their minds) in doing/using it again. And that's exactly why it didn't work for them like it had the first company. It had already been done. It didn't command the same impact or attention. And many consumers saw it as a “me too” copycat campaign and the campaign wasn't successful.
So, when planning your next campaign, strive to be original. Take chances with your copy, with your headlines, with your layout, and with your offers. Do something different and stand out (even if it is a tad scary!) Test and measure your results. Repeat what works, discard what doesn’t. Try new headlines, new offers. Track the results.
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