Launching a new ad campaign can give any business a case of the jitters, especially when it’s the proverbial out-of-the-box kind meant to scream, “Look at me, I’m different.” After all, being different is scary.  Sure people remember different over same-ole-same-ole, but will they accept or reject it? Love it or hate it? Ignore it or respond? Truth is, most businesses don’t stay different long enough to find out. Typically it only takes a few months for a business to dump its new creative campaign for the tired message of price, service, and selection. This of course makes us creative types nutty. Why sound like everyone else? Why say things no one will remember? Why go from standout to standard? After wrestling with clients for more than two decades on the issue, I finally started looking at what’s inside the box everyone loves so darn much. Twelve things came to mind. 1. Familiarity 2. Predictability 3. Logic 4. Commonness 5. Conformity 6. Positivity 7. Repetition 8. Reliability 9. Convenience 10. Generality 11. Simplicity 12. Comfort In a word, safety lives inside the box. But it’s not just limited to advertising. From what we eat, to what we wear, we all have our own personal “inside the box” that assures us of our desired outcome.* The caveat for advertisers is that consumers are smart -- they know when your message changes, even slightly. It affects their opinion of you, and level of trust. Change your look and/or message often enough and it’s the equivalent of dating someone with multiple personality disorder. If you can’t commit to your message, they can’t commit to you. So if you’re thinking of changing your message to something creative, unique, or “out of the box,” make sure you’re ready to stick with it. Better to repeat the vanilla than willy-nilly the nonsensical.

Lori *

‍Here’s why all campaigns should have one foot inside the box, one foot out.