Six things I learned about branding from Steve Martin. Part 2

I recently watched "STEVE! (Martin)—a documentary in two pieces" on Apple TV+ and wrote about it in part 1 of this series. But there was too much to cover, so I figured I’d do a few more parts.

Lesson 1: Start with your why – grow faster (you can read about it on our website: www.mainstreetbrand.co)

Lesson 2: Stand out from others

Steve Martin rose to relative popularity in the mid-to-late ’60s, when comedy was political. However, that wasn’t the kind of humor that interested Martin—he wanted to do something different.

The philosophy of stand-up, as told by Martin, is that you build tension through the story and then have punchlines that release the tension and indicate to the audience when to laugh. But in this new, different style, he would tell the story but never release the tension – if it worked, it would feel like you were telling jokes with friends; if it didn’t work, it would be a quiet room.

By design, Steve Martin did something different from what everyone else was doing – something brands can learn from.

“I took literally everything I knew how to do on stage with me, which was juggling, magic and banjo and my little comedy routines.” – Steve Martin.

A brand can differentiate in many ways, but it is crucial to ensure that your strategy is different enough from others to communicate why and when people should choose your business effectively.

Even better if you can not just be better - but be truly one of a kind!

There is more to learn, but please take the time to explore whether your brand is genuinely different from your competitors. Feel free to contact us to help.

Until next week, which brands do you believe excel in being distinct from their competitors?