This is probably my favorite marketing concept to study, teach, and implement with clients — taking the political principle of “going negative” and utilizing it in business marketing.
Of course, I’m not talking about whacking your business competitors over the head like a negative political ad.
Instead, I encourage businesses owners to use comparative ad strategies and tactics that will offend no one (think: customers/clients) and grow your business.
While I believe it should be a business strategy, I want to highlight the EPIC nine-round slugfest between two competing businesses that used “going negative” tactically and collaboratively to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars in free advertising.
Entering the ring? Chick-fil-A and Moe’s Original Bar B Que.
If you haven’t already heard about this hilarious battle between two neighboring fast food chains, click here to read how they rolled with the punches — and even dragged a local strip club into their melee.
This story is so frickin’ brilliant!
So, why don’t more business owners use the same type of friendly comparative ad strategies and tactics? I believe their marketing agencies convince them to not “rock-the-boat” so the agency doesn’t have to think outside-the-box.
What a shame!
But there are 4 easy takeaways that you can learn from this story and how the top brands, like Pepsi, Apple, T-Mobile and even Wendy’s, are successfully executing their own “negative” ad campaigns…