The Duck Joins the Gorilla, Pig & Corpse

Duck duck goose. Or, birds of a feather flock together. Another is, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck - more than likely it's a duck. Not a goose. A duck! Maybe worse than trying to perfume the pig is ignoring the duck. So, please keep this in mind when you're developing a strategy and a creative message.

Your market and audience are what they are. And, as such, they want to hear what they want to hear. They don't care what you have to say or offer. They only want to hear what it has to do with or for them. Other wise (you knew this would happen), it's like water off of a duck's back.

As a marketer, all you have to offer is a solution. So, do it. Offer a solution that will solve the consumer's FUD factor - Fear, Anxiety and Doubt - quickly, simply and affordably. Well, more on this later when I return from the pond - it's duck season and time to make some money!

I'm back from the pond and got a chance to (here it comes) a few ducks in a row. Pun aside, it was a good venture. Any potential customers you may have a chance to persuade about your product or services only want to hear about the benefits, advantages and, perhaps, some really great features.

In other words - what's in it for them? If you have existing customers communicating with them what's new or beneficial is what they want to hear because they want to know what you've done for them lately? If you understand the concept I wrote about earlier about the Gorilla, Pig and Corpse, you'll understand this: The duck is easy to see if you really look at it and listen to it. The gorilla is not something to ignore.

Get it out of your organization as soon as you can because all it will do is distract you from doing what needs to be done. And, regardless of how much makeup you put on the corpse, like a dead or dying business, it's not going to get up and dance. Give it the burial it deserves and move on. The road to recovery begins, to paraphrase AA's Bill Wilson, when you admit you have a problem. Working off this and his brilliant principles and applying them for business isn't too far fetched.

Understand that you can control most of what goes on or happens to your business. Examine your record of errors, as well as, your successes. Resolve to amend those errors or, promise yourself to not consciously repeat them. Learn to operate and manage your business with a new and improved code of management - your SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) should not be S.O.S.O. (Same Old Same Old). Identify those within your organization who suffer from the similar behaviors and ways of thinking.

On a lighter note, perhaps the legendary king of the one liners, Henny Youngman, said it best, "The patient says, "Doctor, it hurts when I do this." "Then don't do that!"

So, when you're developing a marketing or promotional strategy, or a creative message, remember who you're talking to and remember this age old advice - If you're wondering which side of the Duck has the most feathers - it's the outside!