In this impossibly big, busy digital haystack, how does anyone become the shiny needle they need to be in order to get noticed?
Mahalo often meets clients laser-focused on speeds, feeds, features, and benefits of their solutions but are neglecting to translate this information in ways that resonate with prospective customers. Resonance becomes even more difficult when messages are mired in an industry-wide set of homogeneous terms like speed, scale, secure, fast ROI, low TCO, as-a-service, and pretty much any word ending in -ility.
Of course, every business has boxes that need to be checked to substantiate its validity and its place in the market. So to mitigate risk, most B2B tech companies lean toward the status quo. It’s safe, cerebral, and comfortable. But it’s not differentiating.
So we are unsurprised when even our most innovative, relevant clients tell us they have an awareness problem. This is where Mahalo’s Epic Creative Process infuses the principles of Mullet Marketing.
Ah, yes. The beloved mullet. That beacon of style made famous by the likes of Billy Ray Cyrus. A close crop in front. A sudden, surprising shock of long locks in back. Perhaps you’re familiar.
Here’s How Mullet Marketing 101 Breaks Down
During our discovery process we interview key company stakeholders, review existing assets, and research competitors. And we typically encounter a brand that’s all business and undifferentiated. This “business in the front” approach doesn’t solve the awareness problem.
So we encourage clients to express the soulful nuggets we find in what they say to us. Forgotten or underutilized ideas that are lying dormant and need a light shined on them, either through fresh design, evolved messaging, or both. We remind clients with our objective third-party perspective that it’s okay to rebel against the status quo. In fact, it should be mandatory.
Then we show them what they can look like with a little “party in the back” thrown in. The result is a balance: the right amount of business and the right amount of party. With this subtle twist of the mullet, the brand expression becomes more authentic and complete. We get to something new, compelling, honest, interesting – something different.
The stats are sobering: cyberspace is a crowded place. Now is not the time to be the same as everyone else. Now’s the time to look in the mirror and check out your style.
