Branding And The Sixth Toe, Part II.

And so the story continues….

Yes, he’s a polydactyl cat, dozing outside The Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum in Key West. According to the museum’s website, Hemingway was given a six-toed cat by a ship’s captain, and some of the cats, like this one, are descendents of that original cat.

So instead of having five front toes and four back ones like normal cats, this one has six toes on his front paws.

They look like big soft mittens.

To think that this great-great-great-great-great grandcat of the one who sat and watched Hemingway write is mind-blowing.

Still, he looks like a normal puss. But HQ bets that if you were to own him, you’d go out of your way to point out his amazing hidden ancestry, his remarkable story.

Because it is remarkable.

A lesson for advertisers, don’t you think?

Look for the remarkable difference.

Then tell your story.

Branding And The Sixth Toe.

Last week a shoe retailer called out of the blue and said he’d like to “brainstorm” what made his brand different.

That should have been my first clue -- that he wanted to dream up a differentiator instead of identifying one based on facts and competitor research. “But research takes time and costs money,” he argued, adding that most shoe stores provide the same customer service. “We need to come up with something fresh and zingy. The younger generations like that kind of stuff.”

“Takes time and costs money” was my second clue.

The word “zingy,” the third.

I might send him this cat image.

Actually, it’s a polydactyl cat if you look long and hard enough.

‘Scuse Me, Enterprise, But No One’s Snowboarding In Florida This Week.

Dear Enterprise Rent-A-Car:

Nice email you sent inviting me to “warm up” with a $9.99 weekend special. I really like the photo of the snowboard couple all bundled up and laughing in the wintery scene.

But the thing is, it’s 75 degrees here. Not every state in the country is blanketed with snow and ice.

Maybe you got the photo mixed up with your surfboard couple? Oh, no -- you sent the surfboard version to your Chicago mailing list? And your Toledo list, too?

Wow. You should find someone to help manage your e-blasts, which, by the way, is a term that makes e-marketing service provider MailChimp "cringe." MailChimp says to focus on e-relationships, not one-size-fits-all e-blasts. Good idea. Might keep you from falling asleep at the wheel next time. Just a friendly suggestion.

Off to the beach,

HQ