Ben Thinking: Keep Being Different.
Because being like everyone else is boring.
(Originally released 6.24.26)
Keep Being Different is our diversity value. It is one of our four values that I personally developed in the midst of the pandemic. Why? Because I didn’t feel our values reflected us. The world would never be the same…and neither would we.
The most beautiful piece of that value, to me, is it intended to celebrate everything that makes us different. Every. Thing.
That includes our thinking. Being different is about seeking to understand what makes us different. Growing through what makes us different. And connecting through what makes us different.
I think Akhia embodies that. Trying to be different in our thinking and in how we build our relationships. Building trust by being who we are…as we share who you are.
Because the last thing you should want today is ‘more of the same’.
Onto what I’ve ‘Ben Thinking’ about:
Poll: Companies hungry for innovation. Struggle to find ROI.
In a recent Chief Executive survey, CEOs claim that less than 10% of revenue comes from products that didn’t exist five years ago.
Innovation, it seems, is not built for today.
All of this as R&D spending goes up. So, what gives?
More risk. More pressure. Smaller margins. More competition. Shorter CEO tenures. Any combination of these things equals less risk, more complacency and a sparse product development pipeline.
Innovation equals true separation in today’s market. Is your organization built for it?
B2B marketers: Defensive budgeting.
And it’s not your fault. According to this article in The Drum, It’s ROI -- those three pesky letters that have become the default shield to hide behind when leaders don’t want to invest in something they don’t understand.
The article cites research that says if you are marketing solely for the point of capture you are invisible during the journey that shapes the capture.
In case you don’t read the whole article – or can’t access it – here are three questions the author challenges marketers with:
Where are you actually competitive? Not where you’d like to be. Not where the sales team wants coverage. Where do you have the market maturity, brand recognition and buyer appetite to genuinely win? Start there. Build from strength rather than spreading from weakness.
Are you budgeting for the market’s decision-making process or your internal reporting cycle? B2B buying decisions take months and involve people who will never fill in a form. If your entire budget is pointed at the moment of capture, you’re invisible for the majority of the journey that shapes it. What are you investing in long before?
What would you do if you had to cut three channels tomorrow and double down on one? If that question creates panic, it’s a signal. The answer usually reveals what’s actually working versus what’s providing comfort. The brands gaining ground right now can answer it clearly.
Doomjobbing. What is it?
You put the word ‘doom’ in the name and it seems scary. I’ve been hearing a lot about it but wasn’t really sure what it was…so looked it up. Turns out a lot has been written about it and what we’re doing to ourselves. Between doomscrolling and doomjobbing…well, we’re dooming ourselves.
What is doomjobbing? What it means and why it matters. – USA Today
That’s it?
We’re losing 63 hours a year sitting in traffic. Which is the highest recorded since, well, it started being recorded. And as I read that I thought ‘that’s it?’. Not too bad!
No, it is. Because there are no signs of letting up thanks to the ‘never-ending rush hour’ we’re now stuck in. Why? Hybrid work. People are on the road all the time now. Not just during rush hour.
No wonder we’re so cranky!
Growing pains – not just a hit TV show.
When I first saw this article in Chief Executive I thought ‘no shit’. At first glance there a lot of obvious suggestions/ideas presented as what it takes to chase growth at a time when it’s damn near impossible.
Then I sat with it and thought…maybe that’s what we need. A little bit of basic. Well, that’s not true. The first thing I thought was concerning one of the CEO’s they interviewed – Domino’s CEO Russell Weiner. I thought “Huh. A pizza CEO with the last name Weiner. Is Oscar Meyer’s CEO last name Crust?”
THEN I thought maybe we need a little basic.
I thought, maybe we need to prioritize customer trust and feelings in our sales and marketing programs…instead of chasing the latest thing that might work. Fact is, consumers are feeling the pain…the discomfort…the uncertainty we all are. So maybe giving them something to trust – even if it’s as simple as knowing they can easily order a pizza, that order will be right and it will be delicious.
Are you offering something easy, correct and delicious?
Now’s the time to be delicious. Because customers are up for grabs.
Two-thirds of consumers believe a recession is likely. Which means they’re looking for value at every turn…resulting in consumers who are no longer ‘locked in’.
Read the full article here. – Marketing Dive
I was so moved by a recent episode of 10% Happier (see below) that I had to dedicate an episode of The Communicators to it.
For the pod squad.
Of course, I’m featuring that 10 Percent Happier episode!
“Your Nervous System Is Being Hijacked. Here’s How To Get It Back.”
This is supposed to be fun.
Yea. Well, someone should ask the makers of M&M’s if they’re having any fun trying to keep all their colors as they move to a ‘now without artificial dye!’ version of their classic candies. (RIP Blue and Brown)
Mars is spending millions to give M&M’s a MAHA makeover. – WSJ
Ok, ok – here’s something fun!
Remember those huge Bed Bath & Beyond coupons? Well the company is running a contest to see who has the oldest one…winner gets $100k!
A few Cliff Clavins for ya.
- We can’t get enough football. No, the other football. The number of people who follow soccer regularly has risen from 8% in 2022 to 12% now in 2026.
- 45% of Americans say they’re not taking a vacation this year due to costs.
- The price of an ice cream cone has gone up 35% since 2019 – back when the average cone was $4.50 with some shops charging nearly $8 per.
Thanks for reading!
-Ben