Many businesses find themselves in highly competitive markets where, no matter what type of advertising they try, it remains difficult to truly stand out and garner significant interest in their product or service without spending a fortune. Often, however, this is because we look to relatively conventional strategies and ‘play it safe’, without realising it.

For example, we see so many service businesses uploading a positive customer testimonial quote to their Instagram page, but this is extremely ‘safe’ and doesn’t stand out whatsoever. The companies that really stand out have, at least at some point, differentiated themselves from their competitors by adopting unusual and counterintuitive advertising strategies – in other words, by making ‘bold moves’.

I know these types of articles tend to suggest some absolutely wild, unrealistic approaches – such as implementing augmented reality – but we’ll be steering well clear of such things. In this article, we look at three ideas which are practical, easy to integrate, and can help you to improve your advertising effectiveness and ROI.

1. Radical Transparency 

It’s normal for most companies to want to paint an image of perfection to their audience, which of course is highly understandable. Yet, if you think about it – everyone knows you won’t be absolutely perfect in every aspect of your business. That’s just the reality – no-one’s perfect. A counterintuitive approach would be to share your failures and behind-the-scenes, as this can make you look more believable and transparent. This may include any difficulties encountered and the things you have learned in the process. An example of this would be when, earlier this year, a mortgage broker who worked with us on video production in Derby shared a video discussing the importance of paying for a full property survey when buying a house. He did so by explaining his own errors – how he personally lost thousands of pounds – and told his story around this (see video below).

While some might see this as a risk to his ‘expert’ or ‘guru’ status, it actually established trust and authenticity - two huge barriers that help in obliterating consumers’ scepticism towards brands in today’s society. It’s this ‘radical transparency’ that helps people to quickly identify with you and your brand – and helps tremendously with standing out from your competitors.

2. Invest in High-Quality Marketing Videos

This might not seem a bold move at first glance, but a lot of small-to-medium size companies hesitate to allocate significant budget to professional video production, as they fear the upfront cost. There’s a tendency instead to rely on DIY content, as it costs next-to-nothing to produce. Counterintuitively, DIY videos actually cost far more, in the long-run, versus hiring a production company, because your low-quality content keeps you looking very ‘small fry’, which can be off-putting to potential customers and hinder your business growth. Working with a specialist video production company, however, has the power to greatly improve your brand’s image and impact. This can also really help you to stand out if your competitors’ video content isn’t up to the same high professional standard, making your company appear as market leaders and industry authorities. Taking the leap and investing in high-quality marketing videos is therefore quite a bold move depending on your business size, but can be incredibly effective and worthwhile.

3. Turn Negative Feedback into a Marketing Opportunity

Taking the idea of radical transparency to another level, consider turning negative feedback into an advertising tool. Publicly demonstrate that you are not afraid to take criticism on board and make changes to your business.

For example, in response to criticism for supplying customers with plastic straws, McDonalds UK implemented a “you asked, we listened” campaign in 2018, promising a roll-out of paper straws. While this particular change wasn’t entirely due to complaints from customers, it highlights that there is definitely a case for acknowledging mistakes or negative feedback and turning these into a positive.  

A more actionable version of this might be to feature a case study on your website or social media, where you discuss how you addressed a complaint or a project-gone-wrong - or perhaps a product improvement you made based on customer feedback. This will demonstrate that you listen to customers and take criticism on-board, ultimately building more trust with your audience.  You might even go so far as to create a post with a 1 out of 5 stars graphic and an exact quote from the unhappy customer, if you have such, then address how you rectified the issue in the post caption. Counterintuitive, perhaps, but this approach shows your dedication to continuous improvement. It’s bold because it requires humility and a willingness to admit mistakes - qualities that consumers respect and remember. We have only looked at three ideas here but there are many more bold moves you can consider to make your advertising differentiated from your competitors. It boils down to thinking of an idea that perhaps doesn’t seem particularly wise upon first consideration, such as publicly sharing negative reviews, then working out how to put a positive spin on them – this can really help with building trust, getting more attention and improving the ROI from your advertising efforts.