Incest Marketing

I think we all know that “incest” is a terrible word. But how does it apply to marketing? Well, in this context, it applies when your products or services, your company or your marketing methods or strategies are too closely related to those of your competitors.

In human culture, inbreeding brutalizes people and makes certain rare diseases much more prevalent. The same is true in non-human populations. I have raised dogs my whole life and have learned that purebred dogs are the most likely to have health problems, because they are inbred. Sometimes the healthiest dogs are what we call “Heinz 57” dogs, the kind where you can’t tell what breed they are, because they are a little of this and a little of that. Well, those types of companies are also the healthiest.

Markets tend to be incestuous in the sense that they resist outside influence. In the end, you end up with the blind leading the blind and, to be blunt, the stupid following the stupid. They all follow the same methods. There is no innovation. People are afraid to stand out. There is nothing that really separates one company from another company. Even if there is is it so things that separate them, they are not giving them much importance in an attempt to attract new customers, and they should.

You could ask a hundred different marketers, “What is marketing?” And their answers would go everywhere. Some of the people who have advanced degrees behind their names will give you very complicated answers that take fifteen minutes or more to explain. That is not necessary. It all comes down to this: Marketing is everything you do to acquire and retain customers. Period.

There is a great book by Seth Gordon called Purple cowand tells you how to transform your business by being extraordinary. You do this by offering something that is so good about you, your business, or your products or services that people talk about it. They are so excited that they feel it is worth talking about. We’ve seen this in action with great movies, great restaurants, or great services. You can do the same with your company. Get people talking about your products and services in awe. If you do, you will be rewarded with money.

This is extremely important, because effective marketing requires you to separate yourself from others. Technically, this is known as “differentiation.” Your should differentiate yourself to avoid marketing incest. You have to offer something different to your clients, something unique and intriguing. So here’s the burning question: what makes you, your business, your products, and services different from everyone else? What makes it important to your best potential buyers or customers?

You have to ask yourself that question repeatedly; and I suspect that at first your answer will be “nothing in particular” or something weak like “We offer great service”. (This is normal, by the way). But if you ask that question often enough, you will begin to focus on what you are doing or can do it better than anyone else in your market. That’s a great starting point. From there, you have to discover or create your points of differentiation.

The average prospect will rarely tell you, “What’s different about you, as opposed to everyone else?” Or, “Why should I pick you out of all the other options available?” However, you should have a ready answer, because everyone is wondering variations on that question. They have a limited amount of money to spend, so they ask themselves, “What is it about you, your company and your products and services that makes you different? Why should you choose them?”

Just because they are not saying the words does not mean that they are not thinking in that moment, because they are always wondering. And as I’ve already indicated, the real answer for most companies is that there are not a big difference between them and everyone else. That’s why a behavior that some might find outrageous stands out. Consider the world of entertainment, where Lady Gaga might be the best example right now. She is worth something like $ 100 million these days, and her fans are loving her.

She does the most outrageous things. She appeared at the 2010 MTV Music Awards dressed in meat. I’m not making it up! It was outrageous and people talked about it a lot. Well I’m not asking you to do any of that, but you need to do Some effort to make you different. Don’t go too far, but don’t copy everyone else either.

Now, is Lady Gaga more talented than other singers? You make the call. If you are reading this at some point in the future and the name is unfamiliar to you, just take a look at the internet (or whatever has been transformed by then). She is a marketing freak, to say the least. His name is a bit silly, but it sticks, doesn’t it? And her outrageous performances make her memorable. She is always dressed in something extravagant, something that looks totally different every time. As for her music, there is not much difference between her and that of others. I don’t see her as particularly gifted musically, although of course she has some talent. But she big talent stands out in a very crowded market.

Personally, I am a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen. He is very talented, but he left his great mark throughout his concerts. While others can last 90 minutes to two hours, he works for four to five hours, sometimes longer. He is also a phenomenal artist, giving everything he has during all that time, putting it all in for the fans. It is extraordinary, because it is different from all other rockers, and I have seen many of them.

Wichita, Kansas, and the other cities I’ve been to gigs in aren’t exactly on the main circuit … and you could see how bored the artists were when they took the stage. Sometimes they even turned their backs on the public. These guys were our heroes, and we paid a lot of money to see them, money that could have gone into a million other things, and they were rejecting us like we didn’t matter. That’s like a slap in the face.

Bruce Springsteen was not like that. He performed for us, singing with all his heart. Not only was he two or three times more than the rest of these guys, but he gave everyone an incredible show. I became a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen and his band, because I admire them so much, especially how they have set themselves apart from others.

It’s easy to see real differentiation in the music business, which is teeming with clones. Most markets are like this, and again, many of the companies in all markets are like the blind leading the blind. But in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king, so keep your eyes open. Instead of copying others, look for something different. Why aren’t more people doing this? Because they are afraid of doing it.

Look: people want to know who you are. They want to do business with other people. It is the relationships that are important. So don’t be afraid to tell your story and stop being a copycat. Sadly, you find Market Incest everywhere. Once you figure this out, it’s like the Jackson Browne song with the line that says, “You take Sally and I take Sue, there is no difference between the two.” You can’t afford to be like that, so find those differentiations that make you unique. Look for the weak areas that your competitors are not paying attention to, jump in and inject that “wow” factor to stand out from the crowd.

Here’s another useful idea: adapt ideas from other markets. My best example here is something you take for granted every time you go to your local fast food restaurant and don’t even have to leave your car to buy your food. One day, a McDonald’s executive was at a self-service bank when it occurred to him that he could adapt the idea to his restaurant, and the rest is history. Today, everyone has a window to drive, even Starbucks. People are preconditioned to expect it. If you don’t have a shortcut window, they will go somewhere else that does.

So look for ideas outside of your market. The essence of creativity is combining existing ideas in completely new ways. Innovate. Find new and exciting ways to do the same things that others do. Look at it as a game, a challenge.

Remember: “In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.” All you have to do is find those points of differentiation that make you different and incorporate them into your business. Do it and you will see that many prospects approach you instead of your competitors.

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