Julian Thompson’s Post

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Helping Brands Win on Social Media Since 2009

This is something I encounter all the time. I call it the 'Sample of One Fallacy'. I catch myself doing it too — it's so hard to avoid. I was recently talking to a new marketer about a popular Kiwi brand. They explained the reason they stopped buying it. The brand had become boring and lost its appeal. The new marketer went on to explain how the brand could sponsor specific sports to recapture their attention and get that appeal back. (This was a real conversation, if you're reading this, please don't feel called out — this is genuinely something that comes up almost weekly. This is just the most recent example!) As marketers, our personal perspectives often don't matter. We have to learn to put them aside. We have to avoid overweighting any single individual's experience when strategising. While personal anecdotes are valuable, they don’t represent the entire audience. Next time you're tempted to say, "I feel this, so the brand should do that," take a step back. Marketing is about seeing the bigger picture, capturing the essence of what the broader audience values, and communicating it compellingly. Marketing starts with an understanding of the wants, needs, and desires of your audience. If you're not sure what they are, go and ask them! #MarketingTips #AudienceFirst #CustomerInsights #MarketingStrategy #ThinkBigger Photo by Billy Pasco on Unsplash

  • Text: "The Sample of One" Fallacy.
Image: lone person walking in desert.
Leonie Titshall

Growing ambitious brands through collaboration @ Rapport | Founder | NZ’s Specialist Partnerships Agency | Loyalty & Brand Engagement | Customer Rewards & Incentives | Marketing Innovation

5mo

We see this a lot in loyalty programmes that have partner rewards. We get feedback from someone within the client’s business that they don't like/shop with a partner so therefore we shouldn't have them in our programme. Neglecting to remember that their audience does like/shop with them. A lot of times we’ve taken the “let’s just do a test” approach and then the reward from the partner (unsurprisingly) has gone really well.

Lynnaire Johnston

LinkedIn™️trainer, profile writer, strategist & content creator. 🔷 Link∙Ability members' community – learn how to use the power of LinkedIn™️to achieve your professional goals. 🌺 Gardening fan

5mo

Too true, Julian! We tend to do it in our writing too, I find. Making it all about us and not what our clients/audience want to know or hear about. Such an easy trap to fall into. Lynnaire Johnston: Fluent in LinkedIn™️, sharing tips and ideas to help you leverage the power of LinkedIn™️ to achieve success at Link∙Ability.

Lizzie Davidson

Writer & content marketer for consultants & solopreneurs | Attract your ideal clients & kick cold calling to the kerb

5mo

Right! Sponsoring sports is an immediate brand boner killer for me ... but again sample of one. Rumour has it there are one or two people out there who don't share my utter disregard for sports. So yeah, unless you are the one and only ideal client for your brand, your perspective isn't relevant.

Kath Boyd

Turning business visions into reality with comprehensive online solutions designed to boost credibility, growth, and engagement 👇Work with us👇

5mo

Love it! I see this alot too, and like Lynnaire I also come across many a website written from the business perspective not the what's in it for me (the reader/client/prospect) copywriting style, that focuses on our target audience, who again, is more than 1.

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