The other day at lunch my friend told me something unbelievable. She said that when she was young she used to eat peanut butter and mayonaise sandwiches.
Huh?
“They’re good,” she said. “You should try one sometime.”
My face must have betrayed the tumult of emotions that rushed through me – intrigue, disbelief, curiousity, repulsion.
My mind tried to process the information rationally. It flashed to a story I heard from an American who had lived abroad in Norway. He said the kids there thought it was weird and disgusting when he ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (this coming from a population that chomps lutefisk like it’s candy).
Theoretically, I should love this sandwich; I love peanut butter and I love mayonaise. But the very idea of combining these two ingredients together gave me the willies. And that has everything to do with how most people approach their online marketing.
Great marketing is born of a courageous belief that it’s ok to be different. That being different is something to celebrate. Sadly most companies never allow themsleves or their marketing to be brave. They subscribe to the believe in the old proverb that, “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.” They self edit their crazy ideas out of fear of offending someone or looking silly.
I’m here to tell you that one person’s crazy is another person’s genius. Don’t be afraid to be different with your marketing; the results may surprise you.
So what of my sandwich dilemma? The next afternoon, I busted out the Duke’s and Jif (creamy of course, crunchy peanut butter is disgusting) and made myself a good, old-fashioned PB&M. The verdict? Guess you’ll have to be brave, make one yourself and find out.