Distinctiveness Demands Dedication

Photo by Andrew Charney on Unsplash

“The market punishes distinctiveness.”

A solid gut punch from Brian Rosenberg’s “Whatever it is, I’m against it.”

As distinctiveness continues to permeate our lexicon, there has become a push for institutions and programs alike to find that advantage and seek to develop it into the guiding force for a marketing and communications program.

Much easier to type than take on.

Operationally, its market orientation that is expressed in combination with a creative proposition. And while creative effectiveness is well documented, I would argue the real path to distinction lies in our ability to get closer to our audience — the orientation side of the spectrum.

My fear is that the more we rely AI, the same white papers, podcasts, et al., the farther we place ourselves from our audience — trading operational efficiency for actual orientation. Perhaps we get to an observation quicker but we run the risk being unable to put higher education in a greater context.

This is because distinctiveness demands dedication, not only in presence, but also to our audience.

To paraphrase from an old Ogilvy Research Awards manual, effective communication — brand communication — lies in our ability to combine the elements of a message (media + execution) with an audience’s frame of reference (mental models) to co-create meaning.

A student experience is only distinctive until your competitor tout theirs. And so our ability to ‘stand out’ relies on our desire to tap into relevant and responsive frames of reference.

As Wendy Gordon wrote, “Human beings ‘allow’ brands into their lives only if they are relevant.” I am beginning to think that real distinction is driven by breaking from the pattern of working from the same source materials and digging into the architecture that constructs these frames.

By seeking a new system for sourcing inputs, we should gain clear sightedness into the reality and ambitions of our audience — keeping us from ending up at the same solution as others. Or, dare I say, swimming in that sea of sameness.