The next time you’re gathered around the conference table, generating ideas to kick-start marketing and someone blurts out, “What if we had online turtle races,” LISTEN to that guy. Ideas that once seemed too outrageous for consumer consumption should be paid closer to attention to. Why? Because in today’s business climate, differentiation is at a premium. So much so that “differentiation” should be right up there with other core values to help guide your decision making. There are many reasons for this. Here a few of the biggies:

1. The tyranny of too much.
Walk into the average grocery store and 30,000+ products will bombard you. It’s the paradox of too much choice. 25 different shades of red lipstick, 10 different styles of toasters. Not to mention all the messages that accompany them. You get it.

2. A dramatic shift in the way information is created, consumed and controlled.
Whether it’s text messaging, authoring a blog, creating a Facebook™ page, contributing to a wiki  or uploading, viewing and sharing YouTube™ videos, your audience is no longer passively consuming media. They’re in complete control of what, when and how they experience your brand, so you better make it worth their while. Your goal is to get them to REACT to your brand experience and tell their friends (who then tell their friends) or call you.

3. Pace of innovation.
Your customers are accustomed to product life cycles that move at light speed, dynamic and competitive landscapes and diminished barriers to entry. As innovation runs its course, customers will no longer tolerate waste and will choose to spend only on your unique value.

With that said, it’s time to get out your comfort zone. Filter out the “it’s too risky” and the “someone won’t like it” comments. What can you do differently? What’s compelling about the way you communicate or remarkable about the approach you take? Once you land on it, get creative as hell on execution. Be bold. Look for big ideas. Standing out in a sea of sameness takes courage and vision. As long as your idea is on strategy and stays true to your brand-go for it. It will pay off big down the road.

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