Simply Doing Your Job Is Not Special

I saw this fantastic commercial for a car company that has an amazing new model. It goes when you press the accelerator, it stops when hit the brake. It's got another seat next to the driver and a big seat in the back for kids or friends or whomever wants to join you on your trip. Here's the best part - you can travel between any two points you want - no bus stations, no waiting for a taxi - you can go directly from your home to work. Amazing right?!

Imagine if that's how car companies attempted to sell their products to us. Not sure many of us would be that impressed. We expect a product to do what it's supposed to do. Amazingly, so much advertising today, does just that - they simply advertise what their product is supposed to do. They advertise the category, not themselves. A fast food company tells us their food tastes good. A weight loss center says it will help you, you guessed it - lose weight. A gym says it will help you - wait for it, wait for it - get in shape. Cellphone companies tell us that their calls get through - isn't that a minimum standard? And so on and so on....you get the idea.

Here are links for two commercials from the Super Bowl, Career Builder and Monster.com. Both are very funny. And both tell us nothing other than what we expect. If you hate your job, we are a job posting site that will - that's right - help you find a better job. Isn't that what they are supposed to do? No one can remember any of the claims or that are supposed to distinguish one from the other. We expect them to both basically do what they say. And neither does a very good job of telling us any more about why we need them beyond what we already know - to find a new job. Sadly, this is the norm in marketing today.

I long for days when companies tell us what they believe, not simply what they do. When they align themselves squarely with one point of view or one perspective, something to which I can relate. Trying to appeal to everyone that may need what you sell often results in fewer people wanting what you sell...no matter how good you are. Giving a few "differentiating" facts and figures is not enough either. No one walks around with a score card to keep up with all the claims made in advertising. For the most part, we to ignore them. Monster, for example, offers some "differentiators" and Career Builder offers none. Are any of us convinced Monster is better because of a couple of claims?

Few companies have the discipline to focus on a small group of higher quality customers that share their values and beliefs and instead aim for the lowest common denominator - those who just need what they sell. I have to imagine that Career Builder is better for some people and Monster for others. But, with no help from their advertising, none of us will ever know which is right for us. But they will keep running their commercials and they will send me emails telling me how effective their advertising strategy has been. And if you throw enough spaghetti against the wall, some if it is bound to stick. "Good" advertising, however, is only throwing the spaghetti you know will stick.

By Simon Sinek