There's a fine line between stupid and clever

Maybe it’s because I spent six years at Paddy Power, but I get asked to do something ‘clever’ all the time. Maybe that’s fair enough. At that time, in that environment, ‘clever’ was the currency. We were known for the stunt, the prank, or the quirky way of doing something that cut through the noise. 

It worked because the brand already had a massive, established presence and a clearly defined personality (and don’t underestimate the work that went into establishing that personality). 

But when I am talking to the average founder, my stock answer to the request for something "clever" has become a firm and consistent "no."

Don’t get me wrong. A lot of intelligence goes into thinking and documenting how a growing business tells its story. But once you’ve been on that journey, my advice to any startup is the same: Tell your story. Tell it well. Tell it consistently.

The painful truth about mental real estate

The single most important lesson most founders need to learn is a painful one. Nobody cares. Very few people know who you are. And even for those that do, you occupy significantly less mental real estate than you could possibly imagine. We often fall into the trap of assuming our audience is as obsessed with our company and our product as we are. We think they’ve been following our journey, understanding our nuance, and waiting for our next sophisticated move.

In reality, you have to assume that everyone experiencing your brand is seeing it for the very first time. They have zero context. In that landscape, the problem with trying to be clever, playful, or (God help us) ‘subverting expectations’ is that your audience has nothing to work with. If they don’t know who you are, whatever you are trying to do goes flying over their head and they just get confused. And in the digital age, if you confuse them, they are gone.

Scarcity and the meta-trap

Your early-stage marketing budget is a finite resource. The attention of your audience is also a finite resource. Don’t squander either of them trying to be meta. Instead, say what you need to say, and then say it again. 

Let’s not forget, some of the largest and most successful companies in the world never stop doing this, despite having the resources to do anything they want.

Every ad Volvo has ever made essentially says “Volvos are safe.”

Every time Michael O’Leary opens his mouth, no matter what the subject matter is, the constant reminder is the same: “Ryanair is cheap.” 

These brands just happen to be big and ugly enough to get away with being creative and ‘clever’ with variations on that core narrative. They have earned the right to play with their message because they spent decades drilling the core truth into our heads. 

Most startups simply haven’t reached that level, or got anywhere close. Until proven otherwise, your goal is to tell people what problem you solve and why they should care, in clear and straightforward language.

Where creativity really lives

For clarity, this isn't an argument for being boring. This process by which you arrive at that core narrative is where creativity really lives. Identifying the problem you solve may be hard. Your target audience may not even be able to articulate what they want. At the same time, your narrative should speak to their hopes, dreams, and fears. It must resonate on a human level. Finding that "hook"—the thing that makes a prospect feel understood—is the highest form of creative marketing.

But once you have that narrative, you have to stick with it. You stick with it until you have compelling evidence that it isn’t working. Most businesses abandon their core narrative long before the market has even noticed it, usually because the founders themselves have become bored with the repetition and assume everyone else has too. 

The discipline to stick with it is the fundamental that turns a good story into a growing business.

The diagnostic test

You aren’t an advertising agency. Don't seek applause for your creativity. Seek customers who understand your value. Simplicity is the surest, most logical route to that goal.

Here’s a challenge to end this blog post with. Go to your website right now. Put yourself in the shoes of a potential customer who has never heard of your company. Look at the home page and ask the question: “Do I actually know what this company does, and how it would help me?”

Don’t scroll. Don't look for the "About Us" page. Just look at what is right there in front of you.

If the answer to the question is anything other than a resounding “yes,” then you might be trying to be too clever for your own good. If that's the case, drop me a line. We can work on the fundamentals together.