The Three P’s of Establishing Yourself as an Authority

The Three P’s of Establishing Yourself as an Authority

Why be perceived as an authority?

When you are perceived as an authority in your field you’ll gain an unfair advantage over the competition. You will naturally attract more leads, opportunities and business. The leads you attract will tend to be better qualified leads who expect to pay more for your expertise. Doors will open easier for you. Your reputation will serve as an introduction for you. You can be more selective about the clients you work with. Your brand story will grow stronger and spread easier. The media will help to tell your story.

Pond

Pick the pond that you want to dominate. The point to becoming an authority is to dominate your market. A small fish in a big pond is seen as a commodity. Strive to be the big fish in a small pond.

Start with a small pond. This means that you need to clearly define your pond (market). The size of the pond might change over time as you adjust your focus or increase your authority.

The pond describes your target market. It shows who and where your key customers are. You might describe your pond in terms of industry, geography, economics, demographics, priorities, connection and/or timing. A good description would include at least a few of those parameters.

The most useful descriptor that you need to know is the mindset of your target market. Why might people buy from you? What are their main concerns? What are their emotional needs? What pain or fear motivates them to buy?

Position

Position is about HOW you do business. While the Pond was about the mindset of your best prospects, Position is about your mindset.

Your mindset determines what you say and how you act and how the members of your staff speak and act on your behalf.

In establishing your authority this is perhaps the most important of the three. How do you want to be perceived? What position do you want to claim? What vacant position in the market space can you claim?

Claim a position that is vacant and memorable. You must be comfortable with that position because it can stick for a long time.

You could position your product or service in an unoccupied space. Offer options that the others don’t. Package or unbundle your service that blindsides the competition.

A powerful way to stake a position is to disagree with the crowd. Be controversial. Reveal industry dirty secrets. Pose disturbing questions about the status quo. Change the entrenched pricing structure. Offer something for free that everyone else charges a fee. Embarrass your competition.  Speak and act noticeably different from the rest of the industry.

Publish

Authority isn’t what you claim. It’s what others grant to you. Therefore they must know and respect you and your Position.

Clients and colleagues might spread the word but you can’t count on that alone. You need to actively publish your message.

How do you publish?

You consistently put your message and name into the online and traditional media. The best types of messages that work with the media are opinion, advice and information.

Online media offers you blog posts, videos, and other social media outlets. The traditional media includes newspapers, magazines, radio and TV. You might send them news releases, articles and checklists. You can offer them your expert opinion for interviews. You can orchestrate community events that attract the media.

Establish and nurture your image as an authority by following the three P’s – identify your Pond, claim your Position and Publish your message.

George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

Marketing Tips video: Be Hungry and Follow Systems

Remind yourself that your competition is hungry. Are you hungry enough? If so, design and follow marketing systems to gain your unfair advantage. If someone must starve - let it be your competition.

Watch this video report from the streets of the Big City. Hear the brutal reality about your marketing.



George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter

500 Posts

Hurray! We've reached 500 posts on this blog.

The first post was six years ago - March 2006. When I started this blog I had no idea where it would lead me nor how long I would stick with it.

This was my first blog and I entered the blogosphere as a marketing experiment. The question on my mind was, "How will this help my business? The second question was, "How will I measure that?"





I can't put a number on it, but I believe it has been worthwhile. Here are some of the benefits that I've realized from blogging:

• New clients, followers and connections
• Revenue from advertising and product sales
• 500 published pages of material
• SEO enhancement of my websites
• Posts that I can point clients and prospects to with specific examples
• Received encouragement, questions and insights from readers
• Media interviews because of my published opinions 
• Deeper understanding on issues because of the desire to write valuable content

Writing helps you explore topics deeper and clarify your thinking. Writing articles forces you to compose 500, 800 or 1,200 word essays. Blog writing allows you to post a thought in as few words as it takes. It could be 50, 150 or 300 words.

There are many times when a blog post has helped me deal with a client's business issue or unexpectantly supplied an example for a speech.

There were times when the frequency of posts slowed down and I wondered, "What's the point?" You might have noticed that in recent months I've attacked this blog with renewed vigour and purpose.

I've made it to 500. I'll keep going.

Do you write a blog? How is it working for you?


George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing
Get your free copy of "50 Power Marketing Ideas" Power Marketing on FaceBook Marketing Zoo on Twitter
 

Move Up-Market to Differentiate: Burj Al Arab

If you are in a commodity market there might be room to move up-market for new products.

For decades the hotels of the world worked on a rating system of 1 to 5 stars. A 5 star rating meant the best in terms of service, luxury and amenities. That high rating was accompanied by the highest prices.

So if you were developing a new luxury hotel you would be competing in a crowded market even with a five star rating.

What’s the answer? Differentiate your hotel by creating a new category.

The Jumeirah Group differentiated the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai by designing lavish luxury into the property and exquisite service. The look and feel was so superior to any other hotel that it was labeled as a Seven Star Hotel.

Once granted an imagination-capturing label like that – the label sticks.

Leaders will always have followers. It seems that at least a half dozen other new hotels around the world are claiming Seven Star Rating.

Apparently, (I haven’t been there yet) the Burj Al Arab offers check-in desks on every floor and Rolls Royce limousine service. Rooms start at $1,000 a night and run up to $25,000.

With luxury like that I don’t expect to hear about an eight star hotel anytime soon. But maybe I’m not thinking big enough yet.

If you are fighting for scraps in the middle of your market maybe it's time to move up-market and claim your Seven Star rating.


George Torok

Marketing Speaker

How much do you charge?

Do you get that question often? It can seen like a silly question. Imagine walking into a restaurant and asking the doorman, “How much do you charge?”

The most likely response is,
“Do you want hamburger or steak?”

Would a person walk into a store and start the conversation with:

How much to buy a computer?
What does a TV cost?
How much for a vacation?

When a person is going in for open heart surgery they don’t ask, “How much is this going to cost?”

So, why would that question be part of an opening conversation?

Perhaps they don’t really want what you sell.

Perhaps they see your product as a commodity.

Perhaps they are simply collecting prices.

How can you respond?

You could ask, “What’s more important, fixing the problem or staying in budget?”

The answer is, “Both”.

You follow up with, “Okay, then tell me about both of them.”

Pigs or Prudes - Who are your customers?

Are They Pigs?


This is not about passing judgement. This is about having a clear picture of your best customers. Who are they? What do they look like? What are their values? What makes them laugh? What annoys them?

How can you package your product to fit their values?

For example:





If they are pigs you might rave about the latest fart app. You might have it on your phone. You might review the top ten.



Consider that one of the biggest selling iPhone apps is a fart app. For $0.99 you can make your iPhone make a fart noise. Disgusting to some but shear joy to pigs. If your customers are pigs, they will love the fart app. It's selling over 10,000 downloads a day.

I guess that I'm a prude because I would not want that on my smart phone - and I would never have thought of that as a product.

Read more here:
http://venturebeat.com/2008/12/23/iphone-fart-app-pulls-in-nearly-10000-a-day/

Go ahead - pull my finger.


George Torok

Marketing Expert & Speaker

Branding Secret: Controversy Sells

Do want a powerful branding strategy? Take a controversial position. Offend someone and attract your target market. But you have to pick your position and enemies carefully. Don’t offend your fans or best customers.

Controversy sells newspapers, books, and movies. You can also use controversy to sell your product, service or yourself. Notice how they often do it in the movie business. The entertainment industry has lots of vivid controversy lessons for marketers.

Controversy can be a powerful branding technique. But it comes with a cost. It means that you will need to take a position. You will offend some and strongly attract those who like your position. Are you willing to be so bold?

It could be as simple as the title that sells the movie. Consider the success of “Texas Chain Saw Massacre” or “Snakes on a Plane”. Both of those titles were vivid, graphic and controversial. People either immediately hated or loved the movie when they first heard the title.

At one time in the entertainment world it was enough to title your program as “The Greatest Show on Earth” to grab attention and get people talking. Today you might need to label your show as “The Vagina Monologues” or “Puppetry of the Penis” to get attention and create controversy.

The Guides for Dummies and Idiots series of books generated attention with the controversial titles. They sold very well. The multiplicity of topics tells you that.

The sensitivity of the content could create enough success in a movie. Consider “Passion of the Christ” and “The Da Vinci Code”. There was little need to advertise those movies. The controversy did all the heavy lifting for promotion. The media was talking and bloggers were blogging. Church leaders were preaching. People were protesting and arguing. What a great controversy.

Along came another movie with content guaranteed to raise controversy, “Death of a President”.

To fan the flames the promoters not only published the usual supporting testimonial reviews – but also the comments from the detractors as well. Let’s hear from those who hate us. What delicious controversy. What terrific and profitable promotion.

And to tilt the readers’ perspective of the views they headed the positive views with the title, “Have seen Death of a President”. And on the other side the heading, “Have Not seen Death of a President.”

The controversy is both shaken and stirred by the strength of the negative comments as well as the sources.Here are the negative ‘testimonials” for the movie, Death of a President:

Have Not seen Death of a President

“I think it’s DESPICABLE.”Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton

“I find this SHOCKING. I find this DISTURBING.”Gretchen Esell, Republican Party of Texas“(Director Gabriel)

Range is a SICKO.”Rush Limbaugh

“We’re not commenting because IT DOESN’T DIGNIFY A RESPONSE.”Emily Lawrimore, White House Spokesperson

Powerful words from powerful people. It’s impossible to buy endorsements like that.

Unwittingly those people endorsed the movie by polarizing the controversy. Imagine how many folks would watch the movie because of those powerful negative endorsements.

Controversy sells. Why? Because controversy is one technique for branding. Powerful branding declares both friends and enemies.What people say against you can be powerful promotion.

When you want to create a strong brand in the marketplace first decide on who you want to attract then who you are willing to annoy. This could be the beginning of a strong branding position.

Are you ready to make some passionate friends and enemies? Go ahead, make your brand.


© George Torok helps business owners gain an unfair advantage over the competition. His bestselling book, “Secrets of Power Marketing” is the first guide to personal marketing for the non-marketer. Get your free copy of “50 Power Marketing Tips” at http://www.PowerMarketing.ca To arrange a speech to your conference or team meeting visit http://www.Torok.com To arrange a media interview call 905-335-1997

Please Don’t Lie to Us

Let’s make something clear.

Marketing is not a license to lie.

Just because you are marketing does not mean you can twist or misrepresent the truth. Marketers should tell the truth and tell it well.

Marketing is about presenting your message in the most positive way. But it does not mean that you can lie. You can describe the glass as half full instead of half empty – but not overflowing.

Marketing is about telling your real story. The more warts in your story the more believable it is.

Please don’t tell us that you are number one – if you are not.

Are you claiming to be:

The best!
Number one in the country!
The world’s greatest!

Who says so? Can you prove it?

Don’t say those things unless you can back it up. And be sure to back it up. If you were voted number one by the community paper then state that. Don’t claim to be the nation’s number one.

AVIS is number two and they try harder.

Don’t lie. It’s bad for you. It gives marketers a bad name. And your mother would not be proud.


George Torok

Marketing Expert & Author

Secrets of Power Marketing

Marketing Strategy: Fight an Evil Enemy

Conflict sells. If you want to be noticed fight a powerful and evil enemy. Who or what are you fighting? While planning your marketing strategy pick an enemy. The tougher, the meaner, the more disgusting your enemy – the better for you. That positions you as the hero.

“You complete me”

The Joker taunted Batman with that phrase in the movie The Dark Knight. The public image of both Batman and the Joker were stronger because of their conflict. A champion needs a formidable villain and vice versa.

The marketing lesson from that is that the public defines you by your competition. If you are not well known maybe you need to pick a tougher enemy.

Make your enemy appear more frightening.

The boxer Mohammad Ali understood this marketing principle and demonstrated it well. He built up the credibility and threat of each of his opponents before every fight. That made his victories more exciting. He promoted his fight against Smokin Joe Frazier as the Thrilla in Manillia. After the fight Ali said, "Joe Frazier, I'll tell the world right now, brings out the best in me. I'm gonna tell ya, that's one helluva man, and God bless him." In a brief post-fight interview with one of the commentators, Ali announced, "He is the greatest fighter of all times, next to me."

There’s no glory or fame in defeating a weak opponent.

Superman was a bigger hero because of his dangerous enemy Lex Luthor. Sir Edmund Hillary would be nothing without the challenge of Mount Everest. Wyatt Earp is defined by his fight with the evil Clantons. The 300 Spartans are defined by their stand against the unstoppable forces of the Persian Empire. David and his sling shot is only remembered because of his conflict with the giant Goliath. Buffy the vampire killer would be unknown without the blood sucking vampires.

Conflict captures attention and helps to define your position and value.

Many consumer products are sold by fighting previously unknown enemies that were glorified by the marketing campaigns. Consumer products were promoted to fight morning breath, dandruff and ring around the collar.

Present yourself as the alternative.

Avis could not defeat the market leader in the car rental business Hertz, so they defined themselves by the phrase, “We try harder.”

With the taste tests Pepsi defined themselves as the alternative to Coke. It worked so well that it unnerved Coke into blinking and bumbling with New Coke. The folks at Pepsi must have enjoyed how they unnerved the market leader, Coke.

Make fun of the enemy.

With its clever TV ads, (Hello, I’m a Mac. I’m a PC) Apple positioned itself as the alternative to the market leader, Microsoft based computers.

A local plumbing company positioned themselves as fighting clogged drains. The owners of the business made their enemy more formidable by posing for photos with clothes pins on their noses.

People love conflict. It’s entertaining, memorable and often vivid. Sometimes it can be funny. That’s why the “reality TV” shows are so popular.

If you want to be better noticed and remembered – pick a colorful enemy and start a fight. Only start one that you can win.


© George Torok is the co-author of the bestselling Secrets of Power Marketing. He helps business owners gain an unfair advantage over the competition. He helps connect business strategy to effective marketing tactics. To arrange an executive briefing visit
http://www.PowerMarketing.ca For more free marketing tips visit
http://www.Torok.com To speak directly to George Torok call 905-335-1997

Marketing Strategy: Fight an Evil Enemy
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5 Emotional Marketing Triggers that Determine Why We Buy

When you understand the marketing triggers that make people buy then you can sell more. And you can find more eager customers. Our emotions trigger us to buy. Don’t make the mistake thinking that people buy what they need. People buy what they want. Needs are driven by logic while wants are driven by emotions.

We Buy What We Want
Don’t believe me? Who needs an SUV? What teenager really needs a cell phone or $200 pair of jeans? Who needs your product? People buy because they want it. Every day we buy things we want instead of things we need.

Don’t mistake your market for “everyone who needs your product”. You will waste time and money trying to convince people who need your product to want it. The best target market for you is people who want your product. They may or may not need it. As long as they want it they might buy it from you. Consider what you bought lately that you did not need but you wanted.

Who should join a fitness club? Everyone who needs to be fit – especially those who are not fit. Right? But visit a fitness club and what do you find? Fit people who want to be fit. Who invests their money for the future? Not people who need to save for the future – but people who want to save for the future.

You might feel that you need a glass of wine, a shot of scotch or a beer at the end of a tough day – but the reality is that you want it. We all need to eat – but no one needs a Sirloin steak, deep-dish pizza or Black Forest cake. We eat those things because we want them.

Our needs are logical and matter of fact. As humans we have physical and emotional needs. How we satisfy those needs are directed by the urgency of the need and our wants.

Our wants are directed by our emotions. Here are five of our strongest emotions that control much of the choices we make. If you understand the emotional reasons why your customers buy from you then you can begin to trigger these emotions in your prospects and customers.

Love
What do your customers love? It might include their partner, family, pets, business, career, culture, hobbies, books, personal time etc. Do they buy from you for one of these loves? If so how can you recognize and encourage others with the same love?

Love is a powerful emotion. We do strange things when in love and in the name of love. People will shower their loved ones with beautiful and expensive gifts. They might compose songs, poetry or endure great hardships – all in the name of love. How many songs do you know about love? People do even stranger things in the love of a pet. The love of a hobby, art form or culture can motivate spending huge amounts of money to acquire, nourish and enjoy that love.

Pride
If pride is considered a sin – then that would make sinners of us all. I am proud that my book, “Secrets of Power Marketing”, became a national bestseller. I am proud of my radio show, “Business in Motion”. I am proud of my grandparents who immigrated to Canada after the Second World War. They arrived with no money yet learned a new language, and lived a productive life. I am proud to be Canadian.

Why does your neighbor buy a bigger screen TV than yours? How did you feel when you first drove home with that new car? Who and what are you proud of? And what would you do to show and protect that pride?

Guilt
Often it might be hard to know the real reason someone bought something new, invested money or gave a gift. Was it love or guilt? I wonder, “Is guilt the real driver behind the spending for Christmas, Valentines and Mothers’ Day?”

Can the guilt of not buying motivate your prospect into buying? Can you use guilt to up sell? Did door-to-door salespeople sell encyclopedias and vacuums using guilt? Is it love or guilt that goes through one’s mind while making funeral arrangements for a departed loved one? And don’t kids do a number on their parents with the guilt trip? Are you guilty of not tapping into your prospects’ emotions – and missing sales?

Fear
This may be our most powerful driver. It is likely this emotion more than any other has helped humanity to survive. We learned to fear wild beasts, fire, and aggressive barbarians.

What fear might motivate your prospect to buy from you? Will not buying expose them to risk, missed opportunities or embarrassment? Many professional buyers operate on the fear principle. It is not that they want to make the right decision. They fear the consequence of making the wrong decision. How can you use or diminish that fear to make them buy from you? Why is it that people who know they need to get fit suddenly change their diet and start exercising after their first heart attack? The fear of dying makes them want to be fit.

Greed
“Greed is Good.” according to Gordon Gecko in the movie Wall Street. That line may have shocked viewers. Then consider this strange advice from my mentor and co-author, Peter Urs Bender, “Sell to the greedy, not the needy”. The greedy want more and they will pay for it. The needy may be needy because they don’t really want it badly enough. If you want to help the needy, give to charity.

Conclusion
Why do we buy? We buy because of emotional wants. You will be more successful when you market and sell to the emotional wants of your prospects.


© George Torok is co-author of the national bestseller, “Secrets of Power Marketing”. To arrange for a motivational keynote speech, executive marketing briefing or training program call 905-335-1997 To get your free copy of “50 Power Marketing Ideas” register for your free monthly marketing tips at http://www.powermarketing.ca/

3 Marketing Mistakes That Sink Business in a Recession

A recession does not mean the end of your business unless you navigate those rough waters blindly. Here are three rocks that can sink your business ship unless you avoid them while navigating the dangerous waters of a tough market. You might get wet but no need to capsize.


Cut expenses across the board

Cut marketing. Cut staff. Cut all expenditures! This siren call is the most common and foolish mistake. It’s common because it is a knee jerk reaction that requires no thinking. It’s foolish for the same reasons. Making across the board cuts is a political response. It’s not a smart business strategy. If cutting across the board in tough times was smart then raising all expenses in good times would also be smart.

Instead, review all expenditures and categorize each line item into A, B and C categories in terms of ROI. “A” items are those expenditures where you can measure a strong return. Continue spending and maybe even increase these investments. “B” items are those that you believe are good but you haven’t yet developed an accurate measurement. Continue these activities, improve the tactics and improve the measurement. “C” items are losers. Stop these completely.


Cut your prices

You will be asked to cut your price. Don’t act like that is a surprise. And don’t pretend that this is the first time. So prepare for an onslaught of such requests. Prepare to deal with the price issue strategically not as a prisoner. Don’t cut price – without an equivalent exchange in value or a reduction in your costs. For example you might allow a discount for early payment or a larger order.

Another way to deal with price resistance is to introduce a lower value product. At the same time introduce a higher value product so the original product which is now in the middle looks more attractive. This is a variation of the good-better-best positioning. If you can’t afford a Lexus you can always buy a Toyota.


Hide

Imagine how it looks when you stop attending trade shows, discontinue your advertising, shelve your newsletter, stop meeting with clients and avoid networking events. Imagine what your clients will think, what your competitors can say and what prospects might believe. None of it will be positive for you or your business.

When times are bad, people need to hear from you more often. Especially make a point of connecting with your best clients and advocates more often. Make your connections more personable so they can feel your confidence.

For the rest of your clients and contacts find efficient ways to stay connected. Maybe it’s a good time to launch your newsletter – or publish it more often. Explore the tools on the Internet that allow you to stay in touch with people easier and more cost effectively. It might be a good time to launch your blog, build your FaceBook page or post videos on YouTube.

A recession can be tough. No need to panic. It’s time to think and act smart with your marketing. Keep your business off the rocks while aiming for the deeper waters beyond. Don’t stop paddling until you are clear of the rocks.



© George Torok is the co-author of the bestselling Secrets of Power Marketing. It’s published in at least seven countries. He helps small and medium businesses gain an unfair advantage over the competition. Get your free copy of “50 Power Marketing Ideas” at http://www.PowerMarketing.ca Arrange for Torok to speak at your conference by visiting http:///www.Torok.com For media interviews call 905-335-1997

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Five Steps to Build a Personal Brand Like Harry Houdini

Harry Houdini died in 1926. Yet he is still remembered as the greatest escape artist of all time. Even David Copperfield doesn’t come close in terms of brand and name recognition. That is the power of personal branding. Build a solid personal brand and it catapults you to success. Build a really good personal brand and it survives your death. Will your brand survive 80years or more after your death? More importantly, will your personal brand help you while you are alive?

Just imagine how difficult it was to build a personal brand at the beginning of the 1900’s. There was no Internet. Houdini didn’t have a webpage or videos on YouTube. And he didn’t have the money to buy expensive newspaper or radio advertisements. So how did Harry Houdini create and publicize his personal brand? What can you learn from his rags-to-riches story?

Be the First

Houdini created a new niche – the escape artist. When you are first in your niche you are the standard. He started with card tricks but there were already lots of magicians. So Eric Weiss (real name) created a new type of entertainer – the escape artist.


Be Bold
Houdini was bold. He issued challenges to prisons around the world challenging them to try to restrain him. He then visited the prisons that accepted his challenge and escaped from them. He was a showman. He dangled upside down from a crane over New York City while escaping from a strait jacket and chains. He looked for unique ways to be the news.


Be Provocative
Houdini was provocative. The publicity photo of him that was most often used shows his muscular body almost nude - draped in chains and locks. That photograph must have attracted women and interested men.

Be Creative

Houdini was creative. He started as a magician but differentiated himself as an escape artist. He invented new stunts and escapes. He made enemies. He challenged spiritualists that claimed they spoke to the dead.

Die Mysteriously
You can’t plan this one but it does contribute to the brand - but not always. Harry Houdini died under mysterious circumstances. He was an extremely fit man who died after a punch to the stomach. He had issued a challenge that he could take any punch to his stomach. Something went wrong and he died after an over-eager challenger punched him.

This method also worked to promote the personal brands of Elvis Presley and Bruce Lee. This is an effective way of enhancing the brand. But you don’t need to do this to build your brand.

Harry Houdini did all this and he died in 1926 – long before anyone thought about the concept of personal branding. If you asked Houdini about branding he probably wouldn’t have understood your question. But Houdini sure knew how to build his personal brand. What’s important for you to know is that Houdini did not strive to build a brand. He worked to generate paying customers. All the publicity stunts he did were for the purpose of getting paying customers. Branding was a byproduct.

What can you learn from Harry Houdini, the world’s greatest escape artist, about creating and sustaining your own personal brand?

Don’t focus on building a brand. Instead develop relationships and get more customers. If you build a brand along the way – that’s a nice byproduct.

© George Torok is the coauthor of the bestselling “Secrets of Power Marketing: Promote Brand You” the first guide to personal marketing for the non-marketer. Get your free copy of “50 Power Marketing Ideas” at http://www.PowerMarketing Arrange for Torok to speak to your conference or business meeting at http://www.Torok.com For media interviews call 905-335-1997

You complete me

The Joker taunted Batman with that phrase in the movie The Dark Knight. The public image of both Batman and the Joker were stronger because of their conflict. The legend of Robin Hood was enhanced by the cruelty of the Sheriff of Nottingham.

A champion needs a formidable villain and vice versa.

The marketing lesson from that is that the public defines you by your competition.

The boxer, Mohammad Ali understood this marketing principle and demonstrated it well. He built up the credibility and threat of each of his opponents before every fight. That made his victories more exciting.

Avis could not defeat the market leader in the car rental business Hertz, so they defined themselves by the phrase, “We try harder.”

Pepsi positioned itself as the alternative to the market leader Coke. Lex Luthor was legitimized by his role as the greatest enemy of Superman. Doctor Doom is feared because he is the greatest threat to the Fantastic Four. Sir Edmund Hillary is nothing without Mount Everest. Winston Churchill would be unknown without Hitler. Wyatt Earp is defined by the Clantons. The 300 Spartans are known because of their stand against the Persian Empire. David is only remembered because of his contest with Goliath. And Delilah is only known because of her betrayal of Samson.

With its clever TV ads, Apple has positioned itself as the alternative to the market leader, Microsoft.

Who or what is the Darth Vader to your Luke Skywalker?

George Torok
Marketing Speaker
Executive Briefing