Why Striving for First Isn’t Smart.

Recently, I walked away with second place at a chili competition sponsored by my local Co-op to benefit a Maine food pantry. My black bean and sweet potato chili generated a lot of buzz. It was vegetarian (vegan actually), and contained a ton of veggies, flavor, and heat. But it was not for everyone. The woman standing next to me at the competition was convinced it would take first place. I was certain it wouldn’t. Why is that? Because it was not for everyone, by design. It was created for our family’s taste buds which tend to prefer food spicy, with less-to-no meat, and loads of color.

Back to marketing… More eyeballs. More customers. More market share. Who doesn’t want to strive for that? Me. Frequently that is the stance I take when advising clients and leaders of organizations that have employed me at a senior level. And, in case you’re wondering, that sensibility is not a career-ender. In fact, it can be a career-accelerator.

Here’s why striving for first is often not smart especially if you’re in mid-tier or lower position in the market. You will need to get in front of way too many eyeballs, repeatedly, to make a dent in awareness alone. Chances are your messaging and creative will not leave a mark: when you try to appeal to everyone, you frequently get no one. Or worse, this “throwing spaghetti at the wall” approach will confirm what some segments already know (assuming they know you at all): your product/brand/service is not for them (confirmation bias=zero relevance with your brand).

Another strategy, an actual strategy, is to strive for best with the people that matter most. This is where marketing and product ideation and innovation can have the most fun together. Who is your target market? Hint: It is not everyone. Once identified, what problems are you solving for them that they actually care about? If they’re not robust, it might be time to consider iteration on the design front. And we do not mean marketing solves the product problems! Working together, the product managers, architects, and engineers do. Marketing, and specifically marketing research, can inform what happens next.

Marketing and strategy can be delicious, and even spicy (sometimes spicy isn’t best in marketing, which I will write about soon!), when well executed. Or, it can be bland and ineffective if care is not taken to think about who you want seated at the table. Bon Appetit!