Want What You Have – and not what you think you want

“It is better to want what you have than to have what you want” Philemon

When I was a youngster, people would always mention my wavy, curly hair. “I love your curls”. “I wish I had your hair”. “So jealous”. But I hated it. I wanted straight hair, not the wavy, “naturally curly hair” that everyone with straight hair seemed to want. (Now, of course, I’m just happy to have hair at all.)

This seems to be human nature. Short people want to be tall, brunettes want to be blonde, intellectuals want to be athletes. And I get it, when it comes to people. But with brands? Why do brands (and Brand Managers) seem to think it’s critical that they develop in all the areas that research tells them they don’t own, and match the attributes and characteristics of their competitors, instead of focusing on the areas they are already strong? In general, it just doesn’t work – and it’s suicide. Instead of striving to be what you’re not, be what you are instead.

• Don’t dilute what you are in order to be all things to all people
  It’s like clock-work. A new Brand Manager takes over a brand and looks at equity research. He sees the “outages” the brand has on various category attributes and vows to put the brand’s resources to bear on correcting them. I’ve seen it a million times. For example, I once worked on Wish-Bone salad dressing. The brand was known as a bold, zesty italian-style brand – and owned those dimensions in the category. But it was weaker on attributes of “creaminess” and “all-family appeal”. So the company put emphasis on building its Ranch/creamy attributes, and did it’s best to tone-down the brand’s robustness. Ignoring that this is what made Wish-bone what it was – and was the only reason it existed in the world. The brand may have gained a few users, but lost it’s way.

• It’s good to be clear about what you’re not
  Being happy with what you are also allows you to celebrate what you aren’t. In the Wish-Bone example, it would be ok to allow Hidden Valley Ranch and Kraft to own the “blander”, “creamier” stuff. It doesn’t mean that Wish-Bone shouldn’t offer those flavors – it’s just that they should deliver them in a Wish-Bone way. Pepper-corn Ranch, Chipotle Ranch, Zesty Ranch. Those make sense, coming from Wish-Bone.

  And brands can also make a statement by saying what they aren’t, or who they aren’t meant for. There’s the famous example of Yorkie chocolate bar – they didn’t just position themselves as a manly candy meant for men, instead they actively marketed themselves as “not for girls”. That’s a strong statement of “wanting what you have”. And this type of clarity and purpose is especially attractive to the type of people who are already interested in you.

• Don’t think that merely claiming to be something you aren’t will suffice
  When you don’t have what you want, you may simply try to grab it or claim it. And, sure, it worked for Marlboro 60 years ago (Marlboro was a female-targeted product that simply proclaimed boldly that it was a manly product). But we all know that doesn’t work today. If you’re not authentically true to yourself, it’s easy for all to see. So, sorry, Tony the Tiger, but Frosted Flakes are NOT a healthy breakfast, try as you might. And Cheetos “Natural”? Nah.

Never forget how hard it is to be known for anything. So when you have something, celebrate it, don’t soften it. Don’t run from it. Instead, find a way to infuse what you are into everything you do. Demonstrate what you are and have everywhere. Because it’s dangerous to have what you want. Because it will end up being nothing.