The idea has been mounting within me for months, that the age of exceptionalism as an objective has ebbed, to be replaced with a far different value. The adage, “build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door” is no longer relevant. In fact, not only is an exceptional product or service unnecessary, it may be a detriment, an impediment to market acceptance.
For those who built careers defining progress in measures of efficiency, productivity, reliability, accuracy, or alternative metrics of similar ilk, the realization that these values are of declining import is hard to grasp, let alone accept. In their place, we often find that with globalization comes a lowering of the standard that defines excellence. In many instances, the bar has been eliminated. It is no longer about bringing a better product to market, it is all about creating more, louder, longer lasting and far-reaching buzz.
I saw this coming years ago, when I was cutting my teeth in the music business. The migration from analog to the far more convenient (if sonically inferior) digital format, and with it the continual dumbing-down of sound quality was one bellwether. Portability trumped the desire to hear subtleties and nuances of the recorded sound. The shift continues today.
The explosion of digital media, and the wide-open door that allows anyone with a PC or a Mac to become a “musical artist” brought with it an exponential updraft in content, accessibility and availability. This is true of most art forms, from video to animation to illustration to poetry or prose. The reality is that there are more inspired, creative artists who can seek their audience, but finding them within a rising tide of mediocrity has brought a significant challenge. It is not sufficient to be “better”. It is better to be noticed.
So what does this have to do with your brand, your product or your service? In an expanding universe of maudlin and marginal, the truly exceptional become harder to identify, to locate with confidence and certainty. Given that, what do consumers do? They look to each other for guidance. They place trust in lifelines such as “ask the audience” or “phone a friend”.
Visibility is valued above serviceability. Image dwarfs substance. Sharp-edged creativity will shred innovative engineering. The masses will be less concerned that what they consume may be unhealthy for them, forgiving that which is lacking so as to feel a part of a community of users. Sound too harsh to be true?
I read that 40%+ of Gen Y survey respondents said they would live without a car before they would be without an internet connection. What does that tell you about what is important? To be wired to the vagaries of trends supersedes mobility? That is only one data point, granted. But every picture tells a story, don’t it?
Q: At what moment did you become certain that the age of exceptionalism was ending?
A: The first time I heard the term, “famous for being famous.”
This is a topic for a book, not a blog post. But it is important to think about what message you are conveying…what really matters to your consumer…on what basis you relate to your market… It isn’t about “new and improved” anymore. It’s about being “liked” and that means that your brand has to make others feel “liked” as a result of associating with you. In a future post, we will undertake the question, “can being exceptional in 2012 spell doom for your product?” Food for thought. Would love to hear what you have to say on the subject.
