Creativity Magazine

Why “Safe” Marketing Is Like Buying Lottery Tickets

By Mrstrongest @mrstrongarm

What is safe marketing?blank vertical space, 16 pixels highblank vertical space, 16 pixels high

I’d define it this way: it’s cheap, because you’re investing little or no money, and it breaks no new ground: it can’t offend anyone because others have already covered the
same material, and no one’s complained about it.

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It’s “safe” because it’s risk-free: you won’t lose money, you won’t look “weird,” you won’t cause a fuss.

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Of course you won’t get noticed, either, but… you’re “safe.”

Why “Safe” Marketing Is Like Buying Lottery Tickets
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What about buying lottery tickets?– that’s risky, isn’t it? Not if you’re only buying $1 or $2 tickets, and you can afford to lose.

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Or if you only jump in and buy a $2 Powerball ticket when the jackpot hits $100 billion.

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It’s a safe bet as long as you’re only spending a few bucks.

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Plus, you get to be in on the action, and there’s always a chance you’ll win big.

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Infinitesimal, perhaps, but it could happen.

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Why “Safe” Marketing Is Like Buying Lottery Tickets

Why “Safe” Marketing Is Like Buying Lottery Tickets
Why “Safe” Marketing Is Like Buying Lottery Tickets
(Before going further: I don’t mean to be flippant about gambling: people do get addicted, people are buying more $20 (and higher) tickets, which promise a bigger payoff, and most lottery tickets are purchased by those who can least afford it.)
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As a long-term money-making strategy, buying lottery tickets is a losing game.

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So is “safe” marketing– because “safe” content goes unnoticed.

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Behavioral researcher Richard Shotton writes that brands tend to overestimate people’s interest in their products.

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As a result, they create content that takes being noticed for granted. They ignore the first-step problem of grabbing people’s attention. 

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Shotton writes that you have to “prioritize being noticed above other goals. If you fail there, everything else is academic.”
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He adds that the best way to be noticed is to be distinctive. Mimic other people’s content, and you’ll be ignored.

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