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Episode 12
Why Fit in When You Can Stand Out?
My mama once asked me, "Why do you try so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out?" In this case she was giving sage advice to a teenager trying to become an adult, but I think there are many parallels in business. There most definitely is a parallel in the area of marketing a product... you have to STAND OUT.
This lesson was absolutely evident in the project for Pontiac. Clearly the folks over at GM have developed a vehicle that stands out from the crowd. And, in this case, the crowd is probably THE most competitive there is... the automotive industry. So, when Mr. Trump and the Apprentice producers picked this client, Pontiac, and its car, the Solstice, it is clear to me that they served up each team the opportunity to create some very compelling promotion in the form of a brochure.
Kendra may have well launched herself to the front of the pack this week by taking the bull by the horns and trusting her creative instincts. She clearly had a vision for what she wanted and used her professional designers well to create a piece that would stand out. The Pontiac Solstice has some very compelling and unique selling points that Kendra was able to capitalize on with her design. In addition, her design was robust - allowing for an interactive CD or DVD to be part of the package. Nice job, Kendra. Oh, and Tana and Craig... way to not get in her way. I don't blame you for getting a little frustrated at Kendra's style, but, as I've written before, true leaders are able to function in those sorts of environments without giving up.
On the other side of the competition, Alex, Bren and Chris of Net Worth did a terrible job of standing out and completely failed to showcase the product's unique selling points. I do find it ironic that the most conservative and least artistic member of the team, Bren, had the best idea... to make the numbered plate on the dash board the focus of the brochure. How Alex failed to have time to get photography of the piece is beyond me. When all was said and done their brochure was simply mundane and ordinary while Kendra's, errrr... Magna's, was meant to stand out. Funny thing is I actually think the blurry photo would have worked in the context of a cutting edge piece with really cool copy and design, but, stick it in their piece, and I've got to agree with Mr. Trump... what?
So, it's getting down to crunch time... I wonder who is going to try to fit in and who will be brave enough to stand out.
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