Six ways to help your brand be less boring
Should brands be less boring?
As Donald Trump becomes president elect of the United States, one thing is clear. Never has a US election been so talked about over here by so many people – everyone with an opinion on Trump, on Hilary, on Americans.
And in a time of rolling news, never have candidates done such a good job of entertaining us, keeping the narrative flowing and the story evolving.
It was a similar case with our own referendum before it – big personalities and drama of Shakespearian proportions snapping people out of their inertia, with many going to vote for the first time in years. The surprise result and passion after it will no doubt make people care enough to vote in future elections.
It does matter, there is a choice, you can make a difference.
So it strikes me, at a time when we have never been communicated with so much, that more brands should be putting their heads above the parapet and being more interesting, genuinely cutting through to mean more to whomever it is they want to mean more to.
And isn’t it a paradox that, at a time when we are using digital and data to be more and more targeted, the messaging that we are using has not (broadly speaking) been dialled up to take advantage of greater targeting, resulting in reduced risk of being overheard by a broader audience.
Politicians like Trump, Corbyn and Boris are riding the crest of consumer irritation and boredom at over-spun, over-polished, risk-averse comms, as they break all the rules fulfilling the need for realness, for boldness, for standing out from the crowd.
Of-course, it is easier said than done. Doing things differently takes balls, and there aren’t many success stories at the moment to inspire us. When was the last time everyone – and I mean beyond the insular world of Twitter – sat up and took notice of something a brand had done?
But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. After all, it is this approach that keeps Jezza in his job against all the odds, Boris remarkably as our foreign secretary, and has propelled Trump to the White House.
So how can you go beyond the predictable?
- Ban the phrase ‘playing devil’s advocate’ from your team and agencies. It is usually used to kill something new by people that like to stick with the ‘tried and tested but not setting the world on fire’ activity.
- Make your brainstorms last longer – it takes ages to get past all the rubbish ideas before you can start pushing into genuinely new areas and thoughts. And champion those that have the more unusual (often unworkable) ideas – they may not be able to implement them, but they may put you on a new path that will lead somewhere exciting.
- If an agency says they come up with big ideas, make sure they give you a big idea.
- Get comfortable with feeling uncomfortable. If there’s no butterflies or slight increase in pulse rate for you, it is unlikely that there will be for your consumers.
- Ask people to scare you. And then make sure that they do.
- Ask your boss to ask you to scare them.
Only by actually looking for different, more interesting ideas will you find them. Closing yourself off too soon means you may never find the real point of difference in how you can get consumers to care – genuinely care – about your brand.
Because it does matter, there is a choice, and you can make a difference.
Zoe Harris is group marketing director at Trinity Mirror