So, I’m rereading Positioning by Al and Jack. And I have a new plan to save America. We bombard the DNC with this book. We send each front runner candidate 400 copies. We highlight the specific sections they should pay attention to and add sticky notes for emphasis.
Then, we put this line from page eight on a banner outside of HQ. For 3 weeks straight:
“It’s a selection project. You have to select the material that has the best chance of getting through.”
It doesn’t matter what you have to say. All that matters is what people have room for. In their head. And today, we have room for nothing. Which means your vapid tagline and weak-but-inspiring-CTA is a waste of your time (and ours).
Let me make a prediction. The front runners will run on the following platforms:
- It’s time for change
- Put the adults back in charge
- We’ll clean up this mess
- I represent YOU, the REAL America
- Returning order to chaos
They’ll lean on hope, change, history, diversity, and fighting injustice. They’ll use RED, WHITE, and BLUE!
And then they’ll lose.
Because they’re STILL missing the game being played around them.
They’re pandering to each other instead of the market. Their market, in this case, is the undecided.
Rallying the base is a waste of time. The base is coming with you.
If you’re here to win, then you need people on the fence. The middle. The “still not sure,” “making up my mind,” people.
To do that, you need to know how to stand out in an over-communicated society. The exact problem solved in the 1976 classic Positioning.
You need to determine which message will get through. Not which message you like. Not which one makes you feel warm and fuzzy. Not which one is all-encompassing.
The one that will get through.
