One of the themes to which we return again and again in our work with clients is that in today’s world, easy access to previously unparalleled levels of information means that, in many cases, businesses end up asking the same sorts of questions of the same sorts of consumers – and getting the same sorts of answers. It’s a recipe for the generic: for blanding, not branding.

So I was interested to come across an article in Intelligent Life recently, arguing that the internet is now in danger of damaging that curious blend of fortunate accident and wisdom that we call ‘serendipity’.

From Fleming’s serendipitous discovery of penicillin when he noticed how mould in his petri dish had killed off the bacteria through to the vulcanised rubber used in tyres, microwaves, Scotchgard and even Coca-Cola, many of the world’s most important innovations have come about through the combination of accident, luck and – most importantly – the ability of their creators to recognise the potential in their mishaps and misdirections. It’s that ability to recognise and apply the learnings from one sphere to another that characterises serendipity, and that is in danger of being stifled by the internet, argues author Ian Lewis.

According to Lewis, the massive amount of content  now available on the internet – and the concomitant rise of brands that can organise and present that content to us in an easily digestible format – is leading us to spend less and less time stumbling onto new sites, pathways and information that can sow the seeds of new innovations. As he puts it:

“The internet has become so good at meeting our desires that we spend less time discovering new ones. To update the Rolling Stones, you can always get what you want. But you may not get what you need.”

It’s a worrying thought for those of us who want to see brands that are genuinely different in the marketplace, and not a slow creep back to brands as just owners’ marks. Marketers have been accused of many evils over the past decades, but I believe they’re still a critical component in driving forward innovation in products and services, and in ensuring that businesses deliver more than simply what the consumer knows to ask for at that moment in time. Time and time again, I find myself returning to that hoary old quote attributed to Henry Ford:

“If I’d asked people what they’d wanted, they’d have asked for a faster horse.”

It’s our job as marketers to hear, interpret and move beyond our consumers’ words in research: to find the insight and apply it. Anything that helps us turn insights into innovation is a bonus – and that most definitely includes serendipity.

So here’s your challenge for the day: the next time you go onto the internet to look for something specific, spend five minutes looking at some of the less relevant results. Go to a site you’d never normally visit (but don’t pick one that’s going to get you into trouble with your IT department!) and spring off from there.  You never know what you might find…

‘Being Green’….’The Green Wash’…’Green Marketing’…’Thinking Green’…’Go Green’…’A Greener Future’…’Committed to Green’…

There are so many ways we talk about companies ‘being green’ and even more ways in which those companies go about doing it.

So we were interested to read about Greenpeace’s ranking of the most sustainable consumer electronics makers which saw HP knocking Nokia off the top spot.  Rather than considering this the main piece of news however, we were most interested in the fact that so many companies were listed and recognised for their ‘green’ activity at all – and found it very positive.

However, the ‘doing’ bit of ‘being green’ cannot be underestimated…it’s now no longer enough for a company to make an effort and merely keep up but, as with any other competitive initiative, the brands in question have to think about how they can do in a way which positively differentiates them and gives them a unique shade of green which they can claim as a competitive edge.

Giles Lury, chairman here at The Value Engineers, commented on just this on the BBC Technology News website last week:

“‘Being Green’ is now a pre-requisite part of corporate social responsibility, not a ‘nice to have’ for global companies…The challenge for brands is how they can communicate their greener efforts in a way that is different – and better – than the competition.”

So…how is YOUR brand ‘being green’ in a way which gives it a unique shade in the market? We’d love to help you think about this so please dont’ hesitate to get in touch if you’d like to hear more.

Strolling through the tube tunnel at the South Kensington station I noticed an ad poster in which a young, strong-looking bloke is looking right at me with more than a glimpse of attitude. The bold tagline proclaims ‘I AM THE RULES.’ The NIKE swish in the corner of the image seems to belong there – this is precisely the fierce, youthful and defiant campaign we have come to expect from this brilliant brand.

As I prepare to trot on through the freezing tunnel, the poster right next to it catches my eye.

In it, the guy is also young and oozing urban cool and confidence. A prominent shrift declares a stunningly similar-sounding line: ‘WE ARE LONDON.’ But this second ad is not Nike – it’s Adidas.

You could argue that because the bloke in the Adidas ad looks more laid-back and is not looking at you in such an assertive way, the message is different. However, there is another Adidas poster right next to these two, in which a guy does look straight into the camera with the same insolent look in his eye as the Nike bloke.

After about 20 seconds of contemplating these adjacent posters I decided that there is after all a difference between these campaigns: Nike is more crisp, innovative and cosmopolitan, whilst the Adidas campaign is more rooted in London street culture and thus has a rougher feel to it. But seriously – how long does an average consumer spend looking at ads, let alone actively seek out to distil their essence?

Both of these leading sports brands have successfully developed exciting, eye-catching but most importantly – indistinguishable – poster campaigns. At The Value Engineers we often talk about how our focus on brands rather than consumers adds a competitive edge to our clients. If ‘customer-centric’ marketers working for competing brands all talk to the same target group and analyse their research data in the same rigorous way, all brand managers end up with the same output and brands begin to lose their differentiating qualities.

Let this be a lesson to all of us.

As the markets for consumer goods continue to mature, so the consumer insight arms race continues to grow in intensity. A whole industry is dedicated to developing ever more powerful consumer insight tools to assist in the identification of the next big thing or the next strategic initiative.

I can’t help but feel we’re missing a trick. We’re all buying the same market data from the same small group of suppliers. We’re subjecting it to the same analyses; we’re excluding the same outliers. We’re screening our ideas with the same subsets of consumers and we’re using increasingly similar ‘best in class’ criteria.

Where’s the differentiation? How can we expect to gain a competitive edge in such a uniform market?

A little deviant thinking is called for, something that we at The Value Engineers have always relied on to help break new ground and to crack the hard problems. Competitive strategy is key component of this, a means of side stepping the consumer insight arms race. By understanding our competitors we can spot opportunities that we, and they, have overlooked. Perhaps more importantly, by contrasting ourselves against our competitors we regain our perspective, we shift the focus back to differentiation.

At The Value Engineers we have developed an approach to competitive strategy and war gaming that does just that. We help our clients understand their market from their competitors’ points of view. We focus on facts rather than established truths or rumour and hearsay. We look at the whole value chain rather than the latest market share figures. And we do all of that with our usual flair that helps ensure that we leave a legacy of competitive strategy within the business.

If you’re interested in finding out more about our approach to competitive strategy and war gaming, or our other ideas for breaking out of the consumer insight arms race then we’d be delighted to help. Please do get in touch.

• “The crucial success of any brand is to claim its authenticity” – Al and Laura Ries
• “Originality is a bi-product of sincerity” – Marianne Moore
• “To uncover hidden category needs, don’t ask ‘How can I differentiate my brand from its competition?’ but rather ask ‘What are the unmet needs that no brand is addressing?” – Janine Keogh
• “Brand differentiation is brand value” – Anon
• “You cannot lead from the crowd” – Margaret Thatcher