The Audacity of Good Retail Marketing

We know all too well that the noise level in the retail space is deafening, especially at this time of year. Retailers and retail brands are struggling to capture the ear – and the wallet – of the holiday consumer.
As shopper marketers we seek and bring to life those ideas we believe will break through. The formula for shopper connection used to be a simple one: solid skill plus a great idea brought to life by hard work. Mix appropriately with passion and fortitude and bam – attention!
In marketing, that flashpoint is called the big idea; an elegantly simple, heart- or funny bone-touching aha! moment (that moves product). Smart shopper marketers are eternal seekers.
Except the recipe is different now. Forget skill and hard work. And who really needs an idea, much less a clever one? Right now, it’s all about audacity.
It seems like entitlement has replaced skill. Sheer nerve trumps imaginative thinking. Fearlessness, unchecked ego and a gargantuan need for “fame” is all you need to be a star.
Granted, the idea of star has also changed. (I’m looking at you, Kardashians.) The public is weirdly judgmental, yet short-memoried. Forgiveness is granted generously, but arbitrarily. We’re blinded not by the shining light of our stars, but by the buzzing glare – an indicator of the audacity I’m talking about – that surrounds them.
Value is measured not in accomplishment, but in search engine rankings, friends lists and clever one-shot ads. Like it or not, audacity works. (Even if you don’t have a sex tape or a catchphrase.)
So what’s a mild-mannered idea jockey (with delusions of semi-grandeur) to do? Get audacious. A bit of bravado can pump up the creative thinking, knocking down real and perceived boundaries. What can marketers learn from the tone-deaf Housewives, the Big Brother-ites and the Rock of Love rejects?
Take a risk. Give voice to your wild mind. When you think it’s too much, it probably isn’t.
Hit “Go.” Don’t over plan; get something out there now and then correct your course.
Be outrageous. Make some big noise and rise above the clutter.
Ignore the naysayers. Clarity of focus is critical. Own it.
Feel the love. Have confidence that everyone will be into you. You don’t have time for the haters.
How will you be audacious today?