Crowd Appeal
Sometimes it seems like everything in life or business is a paradox. What seems to be real, logical, or a truism, somehow can be twisted or manipulated into something completely different. We see a lot of paradoxical thinking in advertising or marketing. There are metaphors, analogies, and symbols that are somehow targeted to make us think differently.
The idea is, being different makes you remember. The belief is, it builds the brand or gets the sale.
What is so alarming about this line of thinking is that while the strategy is to appeal to the crowd, our best work, the work that is the most innovative and creative will have to be different. Then what starts out as being different, circles back to become appealing to the crowd – a paradox. But this only happens when the crowd is ready, or when the something different is compelling enough to move them.
This is true for movies, books, job seekers, promotion seekers, your business, your car, your house, and your technology choices. Most people and businesses are working towards crowd appeal, but yet they all believe they are offering something different.
You or your business can choose. If you want the job, the sale, or to build the brand, you can appeal to the crowd, or you can offer something different, an option, but you’ll likely never do both at the same time.
– DEG
Photo Credit: James Cridland
