Focus on Being Different – Not Better

Shift your thinking on how to beat the competition. It’s not about being better than the other guys. It’s about being different.

News people are a competitive bunch. Ask anyone in a newsroom to compare their efforts to the competition and you inevitably get comments about being better than the other guys or claims about being the best in a specific news category.

Big problem. You’re banking “fool’s gold.”

Framing your success in terms of being the best or better than your competition is an illusion. It rarely translates into how viewers perceive your efforts versus the competition.

Such judgments are purely SUBJECTIVE. They reflect your view of reality and nothing more. Are you certain that your view of of the world is the same as others?

Just talk to any group of viewers regarding your station. You’re apt to get a variety of different perspectives. What does that tell you about your claim of superiority? Your view of the world?

Want proof?

Coke or Diet Coke?

Pretend that you’re standing in front of a group of people holding a can of Coke in one hand and a can of Diet Coke in the other. Ask them, “Which is better?”

Different types of groups are sure to give you different answers. A group of teenagers will likely say Coke is better because they’re after the sugar rush. A group of diet conscious people will likely choose Diet Coke for obvious reasons.

So, which is better? Coke or Diet Coke?

Now, let’s ask another question, “Are they DIFFERENT?

Yes, they are different. One’s a red can, the other one is silver. One’s 140 calories, the other one calorie. One’s got a sugary taste, the other a slight after taste.

These differences drive people to select one product over another. There’s more clarity regarding each and a more OBJECTIVE basis for defining each product’s identity. The appeal of each product is magnified by these differences.

So, people choose either Coke or Diet Coke because it satisfies their specific needs – not because one is better than the other.

The same holds true in news. Being different spurs you to satisfy specific needs of viewers. It allows you to capture an audience.

The Folly of Being Better

Your news success depends upon giving viewers clear and compelling reasons to watch you rather than your competitors. Focusing on being different drives you in that direction. Trying to be better simply encourages mimicry and sameness. You develop a belief that you’re actually doing it better (you’re really not) because you lack the objectivity to see otherwise.

And sadly, your viewers are not that focused on which station is doing it better. They’re motivated more by which station is fulfilling their needs. How else do you explain why the other guys are winning despite your insistence that you’re doing it better?

Stations chasing the market leader really get punished by this focus on doing it better. They spend valuable promotion and marketing dollars trying to convince viewers that they’re outperforming the big guy. Sadly, viewers are likely to give market leaders even more credit because of the pronounced attention.

Unless you’re promoting meaningful differences, you’re actually helping reinforce the market leader’s dominance. Ouch.

How to Make Your Newscast Different

Where can you establish a difference? Lots of places:

1. Better integration of the web and other off channel outlets in your news efforts
2. Consistent feature segments on topics that matter to viewers
3. Emphasis on storytelling rather than canned meeting footage
4. Cultivating a stable of experts to explain issues and augment reporter efforts
5. Developing a unique visual presentation
6. Effective community outreach and visibility
7. Well crafted and executed marketing campaigns that marry consumer and advertiser goals
8. Producing newscasts that emphasize what’s relevant to viewers rather than what’s easiest to cover

Offer viewers a clear choice. Create a viable alternative.

Focus on being different, not better.

Tagged as: Marketing, news presentation, positioning