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– Hans Gruber, 1988 |
Here we are.
Content is more abundant than ever, not to mention easier to create and publish.
Generative AI has produced a lot of “stuff” in the last year. Visual pieces. Articles. Website content. Social posts. More, more, more. Faster, faster, faster.
Add all that to the stuff we as a society have created in the last 5,000 years of recorded history and you’re right to ask yourself:
Is there any content left to conquer? Or is it all recycled? The fact that streamers and theaters this year will have remakes of “Mean Girls,” “Road House” and “The Fall Guy” would indicate that yes, we’re fresh out of ideas.
I guess we should close up shop. Communications is done. We had a good run. Turn out the lights before you leave.
Bringing it closer to your own (road) house, how do you give a unique story and evocative significance to your brand, your voice and your position when it seems everything has been done and said already? How do you even try to stand out when the expanding sea of sameness has washed upon the shore and the tide isn’t going back out?
Good news. This is an opportunity, really. While everything feels the same, now is the time to tackle the challenge of defining your brand’s unique voice and position. Because when everything seems the same, what’s different will really set you apart. And when you find what that “different” is and how you convey it, it can be quite freeing, frankly.
It starts by tapping into what’s scarce.
Christopher Penn’s blog on what AI has made scarce is a must-read as we think about how AI has altered what we consume and how.
Among the scarce items Penn cites? Correct information. Useful information. Well understood information. Trust.
The first three feed into the fourth. And the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer reveals that those who have had the highest positions of trust don’t have it anymore. People are more skeptical, and with more unchecked AI-generated material––which is less accurate, less useful and less understood––this skepticism isn’t going anywhere.
The secret is to tap into what’s scarce and fill that void. Don’t go with the flow. Go in a different direction to rejuvenate your brand voice and position.
You have a chance to be more creative and more distinctive than ever before while strengthening the trust people have in you. And the timing is perfect, because people are looking for a beacon in the sea of sameness. Someone who’s different. Who sounds different. Who makes something seem new again, to break out of the “audience rut” they’re in.
It’s time for brands to be creative in how they convey their voice and position, so it’s correct, useful and well understood. Take a chance as a brand to build capital on something a lot of organizations can’t get their arms around: trust in who they are and what they do.
“A Brief History of Time” by Stephen Hawking was a best-seller. Twenty-five million copies sold and counting. The title alone isn’t exactly a hook, so what made it stand out and top the charts above Danielle Steel and Stephen King? For one thing, it showed the author was brilliant not because he understood something most of us don’t, but because he was able to explain astrophysics in a way that made us understand what he knew. His knowledge was transferred to the readers. Correct information. Useful information. Well understood information. And as a result, he built trust in himself and interest in his field. His topic wasn’t that different or new. But the way he positioned it was. Simplifying astrophysics was scarce. He filled the void.
Now apply that thinking to your brand voice and position. What is the “way in” that people will notice? What is the proverbial coating that conveys accuracy, usefulness and understanding? It’s there. And when you find it, it’s quite liberating.
This is not to say you must totally change your brand voice and position. Absolutely not. In fact, it may very well be that the “new” voice and position is already there. But you need to make it different. Change the perspective even as your core remains.
Reimagining your brand voice and position may seem daunting, and doubt may creep in. “Even if it’s a good time to do so, do I really need to consider this?”
If not now, with the opportunity teed up, when?
Let’s consider an exercise to get this in motion. First, knowing what you do doesn’t mean it’s scarce. But it’s the place to start. And to be honest, you shouldn’t overthink this. Instead, think it over.
Ask yourself simple questions––and natural follow-ups––to get to the essence of what’s scarce for your brand:
How do you fulfill the need?
well understood and trustworthy?
Once the picture frame of what’s scarce is formed, you can fill in the portrait with your unique brand voice and position.
Answering questions like these is a good start. And having a reliable, objective partner to run your answers through a filter, give them added meaning and amplify them to further inform and build trust is a recipe for progress.
To reiterate: This objective isn’t to revamp your brand voice and position. It’s more to find what works for you now, and find what’s scarce to make it better stand out. What’s a new way to tell your tried-and-true story?
Those movie remakes I mentioned before?
They’re not carbon copies. They’re a fresh and different take on an established movie, even if the name is the same. They bring something new that hasn’t been done with the title while keeping the something that made it memorable in the first place.
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“Mean Girls” |
“Road House” |
“The Fall Guy” |
Your organization in 2024 is______. But it’s still____.
If you’re having trouble answering that question, you’re not alone. Sometimes the hardest questions to answer are the easiest ones to ask. Fortunately we’ve helped teams take a step back and sharpen their brand position. We know where to start. Here’s a hint – at the beginning. If you want to learn more or set-up a risk-free consultation to evaluate if your brand is slipping into sameness, we’re ready to help.