When normal is the new different

Recently I was talking about echo chamber danger, .

Today let's delve into what *most* people seem to think they need to do to stand out from the crowd: unicornising their titles, going OTT with trying to be super cool and different, and generally going all at it.

You may have seen the VICE article video about Oobah Butler, the guy In London who created so much hype around a non-existent restaurant that it went straight to #1 on TripAdvisor. If you haven't seen it, I recommend a peek right here.

This is the reasoning that I love so much about Butler's hypothesis:

"Within the current climate of misinformation, and society's willingness to believe absolute bullshit, maybe a fake restaurant is possible?"

Hey, unless you are living in a cave, the online space is "full* of businesses who exists mainly on hype and very little substance.

Hype + appropriation + plagiarism + balls = BS

There are so many versions of The Shed at Dalston in every vertical.

But there is room to pivot here and stand out by being normal.

By leaning on the credentials of who you are and what you do.

By citing your sources and influences, acknowledging whose work you build on, whose thoughts you add to, whose body of work you have built upon.

Of course, standing out in crowded markets does need some creative thinking, to stand out for being YOU - but that can also often be easier than you think.

For example, I spoke with a client last week who is a tarot reader. (hi Matt!)

We were delving into his message and positioning, and the main thing we decided to amp up was...*drum roll* that he is a normal guy.

Yip. I know, it's the bleeding edge of cool.

But in the tarot reading world, he does stand out for exactly that. Matt isn't a long haired, multi-cat-owning, incense burning white witch.

He is a normal guy, who you would feel super relaxed to have a coffee with.

He has a normal life.

He is the kind of guy you would pop for a pint with.

And THAT, right there, makes him different in his space.

So, whenever you feel like you need to go all out with creating a crazy-cool brand to elevate your message and stand out, remember that normal is often the new cool.

Maybe being normal is what you need to amp up in your offering.

And that's cool too.

Stay cool. Stay normal.

~ Jo xox