Reilly Newman | Businesses strive to be relevant. In desperation to be so, they’ll do everything from trendy marketing tactics like TikTok dances to complete brand overhauls that are sadly misdirected. The need to be relevant is very much a necessity to be a relatable brand. However, it pales in comparison to being different.
Relevancy is fleeting and ever-changing. Your business may be relevant for one month and then cast aside with a subtle shift in trend or desire. It’s a very fickle foundation to build your business on that will leave you chasing the ever-evolving landscape of being “relevant” – symptoms of this are comparing your business to the competition, copying what others are doing, searching trends and following suit. It’s not a healthy place to be in and your audience can smell it a mile away. It’s like when an older person doesn’t dress their age or pretends to act much younger than they truly are. You’re not fooling anyone and only making things worse.
Dichotomy on the other hand is a magical force of nature. It boils down to the contrast between two ideas or things. It is the division. The chasm. It’s exactly what a business needs to survive and be a brand that thrives. It will take some counter-intuitive thinking that many find challenging. And this challenge may drive most business owners to go back to a wild goose-chase of relevancy and again be at the mercy of which way the wind will decide to blow the next trend. By taking the easier route and not focusing on being different, these businesses suffer from exhaustion, fear, and disillusion.
When we shift to focusing on the chasm between our business and others (or even what is “trending”), we unlock the powerful force of dichotomy. When we polarize ourselves from that which is the average or current trend, we create a chasm that must be filled. Like a vacuum, the viewer is forced to fill the space with meaning. To be polarized is a good thing, it means you stand for something and stand against something. You have planted your flag in the ground and firmly planted your feet. No more chasing.
Like polarization in physics, the sheer act doesn’t create energy. However, polarization can be used to manipulate and rally opportunities. Magnets work this way as the two polar ends alone are not producing energy, however, when met with another end will create energized action through either driving apart or pulling together. Your brand should work just like this.
Therefore, magnetic brands are by definition polarized. These brands are magnetic because they chose to be different. They made the decision to not solely chase relevancy into the abyss, but focus on creating a high contrast chasm between their business and their competitors. This dichotomy makes their audience pause and take note of the difference. Just as they may see the entire market as X, they mark this business with Y because it is different. The kicker is that the audience may even decide they actually relate more to brand Y instead of all the other nonsense going on at X.
This final point is fascinating because, through the polarization of dichotomy, your business may inadvertently become extremely relatable to a select group. No, it can’t be relatable to everyone. And that is the point. If it was, it would mean that your brand is average, boring, and lukewarm. No polarization, no energy.
When we focus on what makes us different, we leverage our strengths and create a magnetic pull for those who appreciate it. As a bonus, we also turn away those who will waste the time, energy, and money of your business. The dichotomy of brand will enable you to be more effective in your growth as well as become a brand that doesn’t have customers, but fans instead. True believers who support your business and relate with your brand.
