Fear is The Key
Fear is the key why branding fails so massively
When you are fearful while branding – It is like a self goal.
All our clients want break-through ideas. They tell us that they have hired us to give them out-of-the-box solutions. They want innovative thoughts, which will shake the world. The key assumption is that if the idea is super innovative-they do not have to spend anything on marketing.
A client hired us to write some crucial piece of branding communication and informed us that he wants something creative, dynamic and attention grabbing which will be perceived as a compelling expression of the product’s personality.
The competitive products were all over in media, and the only way to hit back was to come up with a super innovative proposition.
As soon as we submit exactly that, however, we’re met by a wave of apprehensions.
- “What if people think that we’re too creative or too smart?”
- “Are we looking like a respectable corporate house?”
- “None of our competitors have used such advertising in past?
- Maybe we should just do what our competitors do; would you mind studying their websites and their past advertising?
- We just need to be a bit better than them.”
- “This is our first time;let’s not take any risk,”
Our response tends to be: You’re the boss and it is your final call.
But since, we pretty much spend every day thinking about what makes branding effective and how a different communication can light a fire under people, we urge you to reconsider.
Your competitor’s site? As dull as yesterday’s newspaper?. They’re trying to be all things to all people, they are boring, uninspiring, and more often than not-Stupid.
Our customer is tired of listening to same boring language.
- “highest quality”
- “industry leader”
- “commitment to excellence”
- “years of experience”
- “solutions-oriented”
- “synergy-driven”
- “testimonial”
We defy the average visitor to recall a single phrase from such a sleep inducing marketing jargon.
The desire to appeal to the widest possible client base is understandable.
But branding yourself requires you to do at least two things:
- Clearly differentiate yourself from the pack, and
- Figure out who your ideal clients are and speak directly to them
Shirking these tasks and retreating to the safe middle ground is what we call “branding with fear.” And though you may feel you’re just playing it safe, this kind of branding is actually toxic to the development of your brand.
As the old saying goes, standing in the middle of the road only means you’ll be hit by traffic in both directions.
“I’m convinced that fear is at the root of most bad writing,” Stephen King says in his wonderful 2000 book On Writing. Clearly, he’s talking about timidity, the insecurity that makes us doubt ourselves and abandon our very substance to feed some hollow myth about audience expectations.
But if you’ve had sufficient confidence to launch a marketing campaign, you should be able to summon the self-assurance to brand yourself with equal confidence, which will make customers sit up and think about your proposition.
What is the most attractive thing to the most discerning consumers?
- Authenticity.
- Originality.
- Boldness.
- Even Audacity.
Provide new thinking patterns. Have the courage of your convictions and proceed accordingly. You will not fail.
In short, fear not. Create your own magic, not yawns!
Hemant Mishrra
About the author: Hemant is the Founder & CEO of branding and marketing firm ”Neeti Brand Accelerator” in Mumbai. He is a brand strategist and has worked with more than 150 brands during last two decades. He is also mentor and coach to SMEs and startups. You can visit the website www.www.neeti.biz. You can contact him at hemant@neeti.biz
