The document discusses the importance of distinction over being right in marketing and advertising. It argues that most companies focus on attention, intent, and persuasion in their ads but that over 90% fail because they don't prioritize getting attention first through distinction. It provides examples of brands like Swatch, Red Bull, and Mini that achieved distinction and success by redefining product categories. The document encourages marketers to conduct multilens research, challenge assumptions, and find real distinction to escape the trap of copying competitors and being like every other brand.

1. THE TRAP OF
BEING RIGHT
By Nigel Rahimpour
Global Planning Director, Saatchi New York

2. Today, Companies Focus On
Shareholder Value More So
Than Anything Else.

3. To Maximize Share
Holder Value, Companies
Must Grow At A Higher Speed.
The Faster The Growth Momentum, The
Greater The Perceived DifferenKal Advantage,
Which In Turn Makes It A More Appealing Brand
To Consumers And ANracKve Stock To Investors.

4. ESSENTIALLY, IT ALL COMES DOWN TO…
DISTINCTION

5. SHOULD BE CLEAR
TO MARKETING.
THE PURPOSE OF
DISTINCTION

6. SHOULD!

7. BUT IT’S THE
OPPOSITE!

8. WHEREVER
YOU LOOK…

9. THE SAME BENEFITS…

10. SAME REASONS TO BELIEVE

11. SAME STORIES

12. SAME RESEARCH

13. SAME PEOPLE

14. SAME INSIGHTS

15. EVERYTHING LIVES OR
DIES BY WHAT SHE SAYS

16. AN INDUSTRY-WIDE OBSESSION
WITH BEING RIGHT
Right Dis)nc)ve

17. MAYBE DISTINCTION IS
MORE IMPORTANT…
Right Dis)nc)ve

18. AFTER ALL, 90% OF ADS FAILED TO BE
REMEMBERED IN THE U.S. IN 2012
Source: Kantar Media
90% out of
$140 billion
down the tube!

19. REALITY MIGHT BE WORSE!
The Average City Person Is
Subjected To Over 1000 Ads Per Day

20. HOW MANY ADS DO YOU REMEMBER
FROM YESTERDAY?

21. IF YOU ARE LUCKY, YOU MIGHT RECALL
3 ADS : 1000 ADS = 0.003

22. It’s Ironic How MarkeKng,
Which Set Out To Drive DisKncKon,
Has Returned Brands Back
To Commodity Status.

23. “WHEN YOU ACT LIKE A COMMODITY,
YOU’LL BE TREATED LIKE ONE”
Kevin Roberts, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi

24. YET, DISTINCTION SHOULD BE
SO EASY…

25. IT’S WHAT WE DO FROM EARLY
CHILDHOOD - DIFFERENTIATING
OURSELVES FROM OUR ENVIRONMENT

26. DISTINCTION IS WHAT OUR BRAIN
REMEMBERS

27. DISTINCTION DRIVES CONVERSATION

28. GIVEN THE BRAIN’S NATURE TO
COMPARTMENTALIZE SIMILARITIES…
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

29. DISTINCTION CAN GIVE BRANDS
AN UNFAIR MINDSHARE
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X

30. DISTINCTION LEADS TO
BRAND SALIENCY
BRAND SALIENCY =
THE DEGREE TO WHICH YOUR
BRAND IS REMEMBERED IN A
PURCHASE SITUATION

31. CLEARLY, DISTINCTION IS THE
MORE EFFICIENT MEDIA STRATEGY
It Works For You Long Ader Your Media Plan Stops.

32. HOWEVER, TO BE REMEMBERED YOU
MUST FIRST UNDERSTAND BASIC
HUMAN COMMUNICATIONS

33. BASIC COMMUNICATIONS
ATTENTION
INTENT
PERSUASION

34. BASIC COMMUNICATIONS
ATTENTION
“Hello Bartender”, “Wink-Wink”
INTENT
“A Beer, Please!”
PERSUASION
Good Tip

35. MOST CLIENTS FOCUS ON…
ATTENTION
INTENT
PERSUASION

36. ATTENTION
INTENT
PERSUASION
WHICH IS WHY OVER 90%
OF ADS FAIL

37. ATTENTION
INTENT
PERSUASION
IN FACT, YOU CAN’T GET TO PERSUASION,
IF YOU DON’T GET ATTENTION

38. ATTENTION
INTENT
PERSUASION
ATTENTION IS DRIVEN BY DISTINCTION

39. WHICH IS WHY YOU NOTICE
AND REMEMBER THIS

40. THIS

41. Cadbury’s Schweppes Gorilla TVC liZed sales 9% across the franchise
AND THIS

42. IN A WORLD OF ADVERTISING
SAMENESS, IT’S MORE IMPORTANT
TO BE DIFFERENT THAN
TO BE RIGHT!

43. SEEMS SO BASIC, RIGHT?

44. YET, THE BIGGEST BRANDS
DO NOT GET THE BASICS

45. PEPSI COPIED COKE
FOR 30 YEARS…
NEVER GROWING ITS
MARKET SHARE

46. PEPSI’S SUCCESS CAME WITH
DISTINCTION… AS A RESULT COKE
CHANGED ITS FORMULA

47. IRONICALLY, NOW IT’S PEPSI
THAT GETS COPIED

48. THE INSANITY CONTINUES

49. MARKS & SPENCER COPIES
VITAMIN WATER

50. KICKER COPIES KITKAT

51. AND THERE’S MORE

52. ACROSS CATEGORIES & REGIONS

53. ESCAPE THE
TRAP Of BEING RIGHT
BY…

54. GOING BEYOND COMMODIFIED
CONSUMER RESEARCH

55. UNDERSTAND MACRO CONTEXT!
Poli)cal
Technological
Economic
Environmental Social
Cultural
Company

56. DO MULTILENS RESEARCH
Brand Insight
Product Insight
Consumer Insight
Non-User Insight Compe))on Insight
Macro Culture Insight
Channel Insight
Overall Market Insight
WHITE
SPACE

57. CHALLENGE ASSUMPTIONS
Only 27% of respondents expressed a
posi)ve a_tude about Porsche drivers
… yet 89% agreed “it would be my lucky
day” if given a chance to be one
(Weeks & Williams JM 2006)

58. REFRAME!

59. REAL DISTINCTION…

60. Swatch
Turned the watch into a
fashion accessory
Red Bull
Started the energy
drink category
Mini
Introduced small
car culture
LIKE THESE GAME-CHANGERS

61. BE AS INTERESTING AS THE TV SHOWS
YOU’RE INTERRUPTING
What’s the
relevance of a
zombie series
or that of a
chemistry
teacher,
turned meth
dealer, turned
mobster?
NONE!

62. “BE A MAGNET, NOT A MIRROR”

63. AFTER ALL

64. Nigel Rahimpour
Global Planning Director
Saatchi New York
Nigel.Rahimpour@Gmail.com
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Felicia J. Sanabria
David Troj
Alex Bragg