Let’s start with a definition of “Advertising.” Go to your dictionary and it will be defined as “To proclaim the qualities or advantages of a product so as to increase sales.” Now I ask you, dear reader, does that definition fit what you see on the media you watch? For a few advertisements, maybe, but for the most, not at all. In fact often you find yourself asking what are they advertising?
Much has been written about chief marketing officers and how they are toiling to come up with unique ways to make themselves useful and productive in their respective organizations. Much less has been written about the fact that the average Chief Marketing Officer’s tenure is quite short.
The following commandments do not come from a mountaintop. They come from many years of experience in categories from caskets to computers and everything in between.
Even producers in the commodity world of meats and produce have found ways to reposition themselves and thus create a unique selling proposition. Their successful strategies can be summed up in five ways.
What you need to build into a brand is a positive. The purpose of hanging a negative on your competitor is to set up that positive idea. Some years ago, Stolichnaya vodka hung “American made” on its U.S. competitors who were “making believe they were Russian.” It was setting up “the Russian vodka” as its positive idea.
