Likening himself to everybody else, Christopher Walken (playing “famed producer Bruce Dickinson” in a now legendary SNL skit) tells Blue Oyster Cult he puts his pants on one leg at a time. The “only difference” is when his pants are on he makes gold records.
Be a Mac
In a series of earlier ads, Mac pitted itself universally against PC – positioning itself as the virus-free alternative computer. Two things were incredibly clever about this campaign. Firstly, Mac’s positioning strategy was actually one of re-positioning the competition (PC) – as a headache product that always breaks down. As a result Mac’s position became the computer that never breaks down. The second smart thing the campaign did was obliterate the differences between PC brands by taking on the PC platform itself. Mac didn’t just become the alternative to IBM or Dell, it stepped out into a category of its own.
#3 is not a position
It might be useful to write a list in your mind of the top PC brands. Probably you’ll give up somewhere around HP and Compaq. IBM has continued to be a leader in the PC world because of its reliability promise (nobody ever got fired for hiring an IBM). And Dell has successfully carved out a territory of its own using a unique distribution model. These are differences and they’re good enough to put these brands in the #1 and #2 positions of their category. But as the list continues on down it gets harder and harder to distinguish yourself from the powerhouses of your category. Better price? Not likely a strong position since the leader can always afford to out price you and a lot of the time higher priced products have a better value proposition anyway. Better product? Not likely enough to convince the consumer, otherwise you’d be the leader and you’re not. Better service? Better hope that if service is your position your organization is supporting your promise at every customer touch point.
Make gold records
Or better yet make the iPod. Or if it’s too late to make something new – be the difference. Look for the chinks in your competition’s armour. Turn them into gaping holes for all the consumer universe to see. Then be the white knight of their weakness.