Zen & C.R.A.P.

Robin Williams, a she and not the comedian, is the author of The Non-designer’s Design Book; Design and Typographic Principles for the Visual Novice. It’s a handbook for non-artists. It guides them in designing advertising for the printed page. The core of the book is based on the acronym CRAP. It stands for: Contrast, Repetition, Alignment and Proximity.

I’ve used the CRAP concept in several ways and for several subjects because it remains pertinent. Applying the principles of CRAP to marketing is an excellent analytical tool. In my opinion, CRAP is as good as SWOT or PEST and it has a bit of Zen zing to it. Let’s see if I can, as Ricky Riccardo would have said, ‘splain this to you.

Contrast. If you consider the fact that there is no big without a small, you’re quickly grasping the concept. Near and far, high and low, all require the contrast of their opposites to exist. Contrast is comparison. Using contrast - how you’re perceived by customers and prospects is then, in direct relationship to what you’re being compared to. So where are the areas of contrast that you should be paying attention to?

How about your value proposition or positioning statement for one? Your value proposition is more than an ad slogan. It’s a promise! What are you promising customers and prospective customers? How does it compare or, contrast, to what your competition is promising? That’s a competitive contrast analysis.

Another way of looking at it is to compare what you’re promising to what customers want to hear. One type of contrast is your success versus failure track record. Doing the same things over and over and hoping for different results is what Einstein considered a sign of insanity. Henny Youngman best illustrated this behavior with his classic joke: Doctor, it hurts when I do this. The doctor says, don’t do that!

Repetition. The more you say/hear/do something, the more importance it’s given; to a point. And, the more familiar it becomes, the more it becomes almost second nature. However, the more familiar it becomes, the more contemptible it is. In Zen, balance is harmony and harmony is near perfection. With that in mind, remember, familiarity breeds contempt.

But, more correctly, it is complacency and sameness that eventually trigger feelings of contempt. Complacency reflects a lack of care. Relationships that become stale, routine and mechanical are reflective of a lower level or standard of care. Alternate what you say/hear/do and offer more variety. Create a rhythm or pattern of what you’re doing.

Yes, Zen balance is important here too. Let’s not forget the value and quality of consistency. Customers expect consistency. Their experiences with your organization not only needs to be consistent, it needs to at least meet or, even better, exceed expectations. Repetition then, can be compared to Goldilocks ‘outlook – not too much of anything but achieving that just right balance.

Alignment. How you’re perceived as stacking up is more important than how you really do or think you stack up. How is your organization arranged or positioned in the marketplace? Is it by size, age or value? Is it by design, brand or speed? This is both an issue of physical evidence; you customers can see it and contrast. It’s also about relationships; the relationship between you and the competition or your customers or, both.

Think of alignment as top-of-the-mind. That’s where you live in your customer’s heads. And, you’re aligned within the same space in their heads as their conscious, identified or defined needs. Your market or position alignment is what differentiates you or not. In art, alignment is about foreground, middle-ground or background. To illustrate; is your brand or organization standing out right up front? Or, is it in the middle of the scene where, although visible; it’s sandwiched in between other competitors. Now, you know, the background is not where you want to be.

Proximity. The closer you are to something the more visible or, invisible you are. It’s a matter of contrast here. If you’re neck-in-neck with one other competitor; you both become a single, indivisible blob. It’s better to compete in an odd numbered market. This is also similar to an “art rule” where, if objects are very close together, they’re seen as one unit. The same goes for businesses. Depending on your competitive standing, you might be better off being away from the leader or leaders and seen standing alone.

This is a real tough one to illustrate. Or, maybe not – guilt by association! How close or far you are to the front, or the back, of the pack is how you’ll be associated. Sometimes distance is good; sometimes not. Back to the visibility or invisibility thing – if you’re a retail shop that’s packed in with other retail shops in a strip mall, how can you standout? On the other hand, if you’re close to or in a commercial area where there’s lots of traffic flow, that might be a good thing; unless traffic is so heavy, shoppers just pass you by.

Yeah, finding the right balance is important here as well. The Swedes have a word – lagom - that can be roughly translated as: just the right amount. What is just the right amount of proximity? It’s one of those things you can be aware of but can only learn by experience. To borrow from the concept of holistic marketing: the closeness of the relationship the real nature of business.

Chuang Tzu said, “The fish trap exists because of the fish. Once you've gotten the fish you can forget the trap. The rabbit snare exists because of the rabbit. Once you've gotten the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words exist because of meaning. Once you've gotten the meaning, you can forget the words. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words so I can talk with him?” How can I end this? Perhaps with a Zen proverb - The obstacle is the path.