Polarize Your Audience!

Remember the old song? “You’re nobody till somebody loves you.”

Forget that! In marketing, you’re nobody till somebody hates you.
Easy to say. Hard to accept, especially when the market beats you up. But you know you’re on the right track when you simultaneously get really negative feedback and hurrahs.

Alex Mandossian was the first one I ever heard say “Polarize Your Audience” and I’ve been preaching it to clients ever since.

Simon Cowell only has a valuable brand because of the people who hate him. And the reason some people hate him is the same reason others love him. He’s blunt. He’s irreverent. And he’s not afraid to tell the truth.

It’s the only way to build a strong brand. They have to know what you are and what you ain’t. And some will like it and some won’t.
You gotta have a thick skin. Like everyone else, I’m much better basking in the applause than hearing criticism.

Just heard Pamela Slim, author of Escape From Cubicle Nation, say the same thing. “Polarize Your Audience”. Good to be reminded.

Tsufit