The Four Hour Work Week Project – Allison Reynolds

The other weekend in Australia was one of our beloved sporting events, the Bathurst V8 Supercars. I have watched this race in all it’s guises since I was a child (yes I AM a closet rev-head). Way back when, different makes of cars used to go round the mountain course and then came a period when two men, in two different makes of cars changed the face of the race forever.

The nation divided itself behind the Aussie bloke, who drove a Holden, and the Canadian guy (that we all automatically assumed was American anyway) who drove a Ford. Kids grew up in families that were either Holden or Ford. Even though I have never owned a Holden (and have owned a Ford), my internal loyalties are always with Holden. Always!

In your business you might not be able to beat the top dog, leader, but you might be able to split the competition by creating a rivalry that makes people choose one camp or the other. Think about the great business rivalries you know and notice it’s not about who is better (though each camp will of course claim theirs is, because that is what loyalty is all about). There is a lifestyle that goes along with that brand/product that then appeals to a certain group of people.

Marketing Pepsi as the “taste of a generation” was not just some funky set of words thought up by an advertising exec, it’s a rallying cry to a certain bunch of people. The “I’m an Apple” ads didn’t just pick a younger looking guy to represent them in the ad, it was a calculated move to implant that Apple users are younger and cooler than Microsoft users.

What lifestyle do you want your brand/product to appeal to and how can you show your competitor appeals to the opposite type of people?