“The person who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The person who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever seen before.” – Albert Einstein
Coffee – Starbucks vs. Dunkin Donuts.
Smartphone – iPhone vs. Android.
Religion – Protestant vs. Catholicism
None of the above is ‘better’ than the other – only different.
The ‘better’ is determined by the end user – not the designer.
The human brain has seven slots of short-term memory (give or take two slots) at any given time.
As brand marketers, our job is to grab just ONE slot – then print it to long-term memory.
Often times, ‘professional copywriting’ is tremendously ‘same’ – not different.
The result washes over the end user and never ‘prints’ in the ‘7 slots’.
While re-watching the historic and elaborate Naptown Rock Radio Wars, it’s clear that WIBC against WIFE was about who was – different.
When WNAP came to morally disrupt Indy radio history – well, clearly different, messy.
Far from ‘better’.
So – do something about it.
Listen, read or see the brand you shepherd.
Of course you think it’s better – you designed it.
But is it ‘different’ – from your competition.
Are there aural activators, unique talent and surprises that create ‘differentiators’?
Different – is the new ‘better’.
A word of caution – being ‘different’ carries a heavy tax.
You’ll initially be on an island – alone.
And sometimes – that’s what makes it ‘better’.
Next Up: The Interview
Kevin Robinson is a record-setting and award-winning programmer. His brands consistently perform in the Top 3 of the target – often times as the list leader. In his 35 years of radio, he’s successfully programmed or consulted nearly every English language radio brand. Known largely as a trusted talent coach, he’s the only personality mentor who’s coached three different morning shows on three different stations in the same major market to the #1 position. His efforts have been recognized by The World Wide Radio Summit Radio & Records, NAB’s Marconi, Radio Ink and has coached CMA, ACM and Marconi winning talent. He is also a featured speaker to national groups and state associations. Kevin lives in Indiana with his wife of 34 years, Monica. Reach Kevin at (314) 882-2148 or kevin@audiencedevelopentgroup.com.
