Marketers are trained to look for what makes their brand different – to find the rational reason why someone should choose them over all others. But what if that instinct no longer works?
In the ’90s sitcom “Seinfeld,” Jerry’s friend George Costanza reaches the same kind of breaking point. Nothing in his life is going right, so Jerry gives him this advice: “If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite should be right.”
George decides to live by it – and Opposite George was born.
After three decades as a creative director at brands like Burger King, H&R Block and Toro, I can tell you this: George was on to something. When it comes to marketing, doing the opposite of what is expected is often what gets attention.
Is still unique unique?
For decades, marketers have been trained to find that one product difference: the rational reason to believe, the proof that our brand is somehow superior.
Rosser Reeves introduced the unique selling proposition in the 1920s, and it has defined marketing ever since. It’s not wrong; it’s just no longer the sharp edge of conviction.
A hundred years ago, most categories had only a few competitors. Take soap: there could have been at most five brands. Standing out with a logical argument was not only effective, it also made you memorable.
Today, every category is saturated. Expecting overworked, distracted consumers to notice how different you are is like trying to hear every conversation in a busy restaurant: it’s just noise.
A quick Google search for “soap bar brands” will turn up hundreds, maybe thousands. That is now the reality for almost every sector. If your marketing relies on a proposition to sell how you are unique, you won’t break through, you’ll fall in between.
That’s why the unique selling proposition has become the opposite of what marketers should be doing today.
Dig deeper: If your value prop sounds like everyone else’s, you’ve already lost
The beginning of the unique emotional solution
Breaking expectations creates impact. Our brains are wired to notice what surprises us, not what we are used to expecting.
That instinct lives in the limbic systemthe part of the brain that makes split-second decisions about what is important and what is not. It doesn’t process logic. It responds to emotion.
Your carefully crafted product benefit? It competes with thoughts like how my child did at school today, whether that comment from a friend was actually a joke, and why the dog has been quiet for too long. Logic doesn’t stand a chance against real life.
The limbic system opens the door to more information when something stirs emotions, or closes the door just as quickly when a message feels too long-winded, too irrelevant or too rational. It’s not rejecting your product, it’s protecting your sanity.
Many marketers assume that consumers will find their products as interesting as they do. That’s like walking up to someone in a bar and reciting your resume: “I’m so unique – Ivy League degree, gold watch, the works.” Nobody is impressed.
You don’t earn attention by being expected. And it’s not just that people don’t care. They don’t have time to decide whether they should do that.
Dig deeper: 3 marketing copy rules you need to follow to gain the trust of your potential customers
How to be unexpected
Unexpected moments are memorable because they break assumed patterns. They are noticed and remembered. There are three ways to do this:
- What you say.
- What you do.
- What you solve.
What you say
A story about a blind man in a park shows the power of saying something different. He sits on a blanket with an empty coffee can and a sign that reads: “Blind. Please help.”
A young woman walks by, picks up the sign and writes on the other side. When she returns later, his cup is full. Her new message read: “It’s a beautiful day and I can’t see it.”
Same situation, new frame. A few unexpected words changed how people felt, not just what they saw. That’s the power of saying things in a way that creates emotion and connection.
What you do
A few years ago A short online film from Ford Brazil appeared in my feed. It started with a simple insight: About 7% of Brazil’s 46 million residents have a disability, and aging sidewalks make daily life more difficult.
Ford found a way to help. They developed a luggage mat that could also serve as a wheelchair ramp – a small innovation that created a meaningful difference.
Millions of advertising dollars couldn’t match the emotional impact of that simple act. It didn’t just say that Ford cared. It proved it.
What you solve
In India, Ariel detergent found that 79% of people still believed washing clothes was a woman’s job. The brand stopped talking about whiter whites and started asking a more important question: “Why do we still expect women to do all the laundry?”
The campaign “Share the burden”, boosted sales by 76% and changed the conversation about gender roles in one of the busiest categories in the world.
What was Ariel’s unique selling proposition? I couldn’t tell you. But the unique emotional solution was clear: let’s start changing the narrative around laundry and gender roles.
They didn’t beg for attention or discuss product features. They flipped the script – Opposite George’s move – and solved a problem their customers cared about.
The takeaway
Everything that has an impact – big or small – does so because it surprises us. It breaks through the defense mechanisms of the limbic system and deserves attention.
In an era where AI will surface solutions faster than ever, the meaning of brands will be more important than brand claims.
- Find issues that fall just outside your product or category.
- Advocate for them in what you say.
- Act accordingly in what you do.
- Solve them in a way that your customers will appreciate.
This is how you take your brand from ignored to irreplaceable.
Dig deeper: 7 ways to increase customers’ emotional connection and loyalty to your brand
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Contributing authors are invited to create content for MarTech and are chosen for their expertise and contribution to the martech community. Our contributors work under the supervision of the editors and contributions are checked for quality and relevance to our readers. MarTech is owned by Semrush. The contributor was not asked to make any direct or indirect mentions of it Semrush. The opinions they express are their own.
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