I’m sure many of you are glad the election season is behind us. I certainly don’t miss the wild rhetoric and non-stop news coverage.
But as a marketing professional I find myself pondering the marketing, and noticed a very significant principle that I talk about in a previous post.
Trump’s campaign nailed it. Hillary’s campaign missed it.
In Simon Sinek’s book, Start With Why, he makes a case that strong, prosperous companies have a bigger purpose for what they do. And
it is never just about their profits or their own growth. It’s about something bigger, ethereal, and transformative.
For example, Apple’s why is to think different and challenge the status quo. They just happen to make computers. On the other hand, Tevo, a company that created an extraordinary, high-quality gadget for improving your TV experience, has a why that fell flat: convenience and low price. Not very inspiring. And not surprisingly, they hardly prospered.
What was Trump’s why? It’s in his slogan: Make America Great Again. It wasn’t about him. It was about something bigger and transformative.
What about Hillary? Her slogan was: I’m With Her. What does that communicate about her big why, her purpose, her focus? If she had a bigger purpose, it wasn’t communicated well.
I’m not interested in arguing political platforms and rhetoric. I’m making an observation that illustrates an important principle and serves as another reminder to ponder your reason for doing what you do.
Your what (your actions, products, services) serves as proof of your why. But if people don’t know or don’t believe in your why, your what becomes meaningless, a commodity.
So why does your business exist? To make a profit or provide great service is uninspiring and unremarkable.
What greater purpose do you embody? And how can people be inspired and believe in it so much that they give you their trust, loyalty, engagement,
and ultimately, their money?
People are naturally inclined towards self-preservation and self-interest. But can you think beyond that for a moment?
Sinek says it like this: “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.”
Your big why is often revealed in your story. If you can incorporate your story in your marketing message, your why will emerge, and you will attract more people more powerfully and more effectively than the traditional benefit/cost/value marketing strategies.