Sometimes Ticking People Off Is Exactly The Intent

Established in 1965, Benetton is present in 120 countries around the world. It presently has global sales in excess of $2 Billion dollars annually. Yet many in the mainstream find their advertising and marketing strategies downright offensive.

The aim of United Colors of Benetton corporate communication is to create the image of a global enterprise that is modern and projects towards the future and uses distinct imagery and messaging to promote its principal and most important characteristic: uniqueness.

“If your brand is clearly defined enough to have the power to attract enemies, it also has the power to attract raving fans. And the raving fans of your brand are the ones who return again and again. They’re the ones who will tell their friends about you. They’re the ones who will wear your logo. They’re the ones that almost enjoy the annoyance of your brand-haters and will keep coming back for more.”

“So don’t fear the hate. Embrace it. Maybe in your next brainstorming meeting, don’t ask how you can appeal to X. Ask how you can annoy the hell out of Y.” …………………Rick Nobles president of Two West Inc

In marketing conventional wisdom is not always the chosen path. The delivery of a message and its ability to reach the intended audience need not be communicated the same way as your competitors. In fact sometimes it makes sense to completely differentiate yourself. If most of your competitors are turning left, then turn right. If those products or services you seek to overcome are painting there portrait in white, paint yours in black.

There are, as we have been told, two sides to every story and in marketing this could not be more true.

Are you afraid to offend someone with what you marketing materials? Do you shy away from making tough statements in your marketing messages on your collateral media pieces or on your blog or website? Have you received some angry comments or emails from people vehemently opposing or denouncing what you have said? Have you heard from some people that they will absolutely not buy from you or will not use your service or perhaps will not read your blog?

If so, then instead of being upset, you should be smiling like the proverbial cat that just ate the canary. Why? Because by having an audience that voices displeasure with you means that you are succeeding in branding your business and you are expertly applying the principles of Contrarian Marketing.

Obviously one has to have a well thought out plan and commitment to execute a Contrarian Marketing Plan to fruition. It is definitely not for everyone and in real estate it seems to be even less likely to be implemented as a part of an overall campaign.

While all marketing and advertising is designed to evoke some measurable emotion or reaction from your target demo, most in real estate opt for what they erroneously view as the safe way out. Most real estate marketers rely and stake the success of their “businesses” on trying to deliver positive messages to a target they hope will like them and subsequently buy from them. Positive messaging surely works and is a marketing mainstay.

However, Contrarian Marketing also works very well. When you are building your brand you are declaring to the public, in any forum that you choose to use, that listen all “this is who we are“, but as anyone in marketing will tell you, you are also as loudly proclaiming, “this is who we are not“.

What this is all about is positioning. In a competitive business environment, the shape and definition of your brand and its values informs the target audience what you believe in, and the message also clearly defines that which you do not.

In that regard, when someone is motivated to the point of taking time out of their day to let you know that they disagree or better yet exhibit anger about your message, don’t be upset…revel in the knowledge that your plan is succeeding and that the message that you wanted to deliver has most assuredly imparted a defined branding of your business.

Okay, I can hear it already. This guys has lost his ever-loving mind! How am I ever going to succeed and earn a profit if people despise my brand and won’t buy from me. [i.e. buying meaning the acceptance of your product or service].

If you feel this way, you are looking at the picture from the wrong angle. This “playa-hating” would not be occurring if you did not design a Contrarian Marketing campaign. So the end result is to be expected. But why would someone initiate such a campaign?

Simple answer. It works! Here’s the secret. If someone is driven to the point of anger to respond to your brand with such emotion then you have clearly determined that you have the ability and power to attract many enemies.

Sheer marketing logic then dictates that you have determined that you have the same ability or even greater ability to attract avid fans. And as you know, the avid fans are the ones who will buy and accept your message time and time again. That’s how your message can go viral. While the squeaky wheel complains openly, the fan may not. Yet they will tell their friends, they email you directly and they buy from you.

What’s more compelling is that the avid fan actually enjoys the displeasure of the complainers and they become the foundation of your brand and business.

Some of the biggest brands in business have major detractors. Yet they don’t care. They appeal to a segment of the population and audience that does not subscribe to what those who feel offended think. In fact the brand of choice actually becomes more clearly defined as positive, by the more the naysayers complain.

A brand needs to appeal to a way of life, an attitude, a system of beliefs and values. It can not, nor should not attempt to pander to all demographics of society. A brand (insert blog, house, service or product) attempting to woo everyone actually becomes a diluted commodity failing in its purpose to actually attract an avid fan base.

Instead it does just the opposite, it creates brand indifference. Want the fastest way to kill your business? Engage in a campaign that, in a sea of competition, breeds indifference to your brand. In that instance, you’re done.

Benetton has mastered Contrarian Marketing. Where most brands seek to avoid offending any segment of a demographic, Benetton’s contrarian approach, since followed by Abercrombie & Fitch and many others, Benetton seeks to set themselves apart from its competitors by delivering strong messages designed purposely to evoke an emotional response. Take a clothing campaign they ran using photos and stories about prisoners on death row. Can you imagine using murderers and rapists as pawns in your marketing campaign?

Benetton knows their audience. They know that while many will be appalled, many will applaud such a provocative marketing campaign with the backdrop of making social and political commentary.

Recently the Miley Cyrus photo shoot at Vanity Fair caused a tremendous uproar. Vanity Fair could not have paid for such publicity. While many condemned what occurred, the readership of Vanity Fair, what may be the silent majority, did not have a problem and I am sure in the boardroom their were a lot of high-fives going around. Try and price out the amount of brand mentions that Vanity Fair has received in the days since the Miley Cyrus photo shoot went public.

Advertising that makes you feel good inside is fine and most assuredly has its place, however companies that utilize a contrarian approach do so because they feel they can get a lot of mileage out of exploiting “hot-buttons” and moral outrage. Their target demographic distinctively accepts this.

Diversity of market share is often taken for granted amongst the established brands. In real estate, there has been an established norm. The belief is that there is a certain way to do business, and the masses who enter follow by being given the same instruction.

This does not mean, by any stretch of the imagination, that there are not consumers out there that want to and will accept a business that will throw caution to the wind and deviate..no kick to the curb, conventional wisdom.

A contrarian position can only work if executed with full knowledge and care that you have ascertained that a market exists that is silent and wants a voice. While offending some, you must be statistically sure that there are numbers in your demo whose loyalty will grow as the assault on CV continues. Contrarian Marketing is a high risk, high reward strategy that is not for everyone.

While it’s doubtful that there could ever be a message as bold as Benetton’s in the real estate industry, contrarian marketing can and does work in this sector.

The next time you design a marketing campaign and it’s met with jeers and denigrating comments by those outside your intended demographic, don’t worry about it and definitely don’t fear it.

Instead understand that your goal was to evoke emotion and each response you obtain from someone who was offended indicates that your campaign is working, so embrace a negative response.

Then go back to the warroom, sit with your team and don’t engage in talk of how to appease those who are appalled, but rather figure out what you can do next to tick them off even more!

Trust me, it works! If you don’t believe me, ask Benetton, or Abercrombie & Fitch, or Apple, or Starbucks, or…