Mediocrity is Harder to Sustain

Hugh MacLeod absolutely nails it when he says:

“The web has made kicking ass easier to achieve, and mediocrity harder to sustain. Mediocrity now howls in protest”

Too true.

Last week I presented to a client on some results from a programme we executed for them last year. We wanted to add some context so I added in a very brief 101 on social media including a slide that talks about harnessing the power of social media.

Ideas that spread, win

• Say, do, create or facilitate something remarkable

Stand out from the crowd

• CPGs are competing against every other product in the [grocery] store. There is a lot of noise

Find your fans

• Create a community (real or virtual)
• Turn them into evangelists
• Give them the tools to spread your message

If you want to have a successful social media marketing programme, you must have a product that people want to talk about (a purple cow) or that can facilitate conversations (a socializing object). If you don’t have something that kicks ass you can facilitate some kick ass conversations that enable your stakeholders and that fosters a deeper engagement. As a CPG, you need to be more than just another piece of noise on the shelf. CPGs are looking to gain that competitive advantage so that when you look at a shelf in a grocery store, you innately trust one brand over another. When that happens, you win.

Edit:

The one thing I am most scared of at com.motion is that we do not create something that kicks ass for our clients. That we become mediocre. That we end up howling. That’s the wrong sort of commotion.