I don't watch much TV, but lately I've been noticing a lot of ads on the tube where companies call out their competition. And I have to tell you, it's just one of those things that gets all stuck in my craw. So I have to ask: Why?


Why would you spend your ad dollars talking about your competition? Calling out their features and benefits? Even mentioning their name for cryin' out loud?
Not only are you giving people an alternative to your product or service, you're telling them that you're AFRAID. And it looks like you're so much afraid of your competition that you are going on the defensive and attacking them. Wasting energy. Time. And a whole bunch of money.
When the little guy attacks the big guy, it tells me that the big guy must be kickin' your ass .... and for a good reason. And when the big guy attacks the little guy, it tells me that they must be eating into your share of the pie for a reason, so I should check them out.
Look, people are savvy. They shop around. Compare on their own. And, above all, ask their friends what they think. So before you go throwing your marketing dollars away talking trash about your competition, consider the chance that it will probably do more harm than good.

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Bashing Your Competition

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Spike Jones

Firestarter
Brains on Fire

Spike Jones hails from the Lone Star state, where they brainwash you at an early age to take pride in who you are and where you're from (and they sure got a hold of him). After graduating from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, he bounced around the country and finally landed in the Southeast over at the naming and identity company of Brains on Fire (www.brainsonfire.com).

He began his career there as a copywriter, crafting compelling stories for national and international clients. And while Spike still enjoys wordsmithing, he is now involved on the creative strategy side of the business from insight to the creation of word of mouth movements to building regional and national identities for companies across many industries. Brands he’s helped strengthen include BMW, Rawlings Sporting Goods, Dagger Kayaks, Don Pablo’s Mexican Restaurants, Fiskars Brands, Yakima, Perception Kayaks and Rage Against the Haze (South Carolina’s youth-led anti-tobacco movement).

Spike has been a speaker at national and local events and is the main contributor to the Brains on Fire group blog (www.brainsonfire.com/blog), which discusses current naming, identity and word of mouth issues and trends. It is also among the top read and resourced blogs in the marketing industry

When he’s not around his favorite people in the world (his fellow Brains on Fire-mates) or traveling around the country, you can find Spike out for a run flanked by his 100 lb. Chocolate lab, Mud.

Contact info:
Brains on Fire
148 River Street, Suite 100
Greenville, SC 29601
864.676.9663

web: brainsonfire.com
blog: brainsonfire.com/blog
that fancy electronic mail: spike@brainsonfire.com