Who Is Your Enemy?

ByDavid Paul Carter

I had the pleasure of hearing Fred Catona speak a while back. Don’t know him? He is the founder of Taste of Philadelphia, which achieved national fame through features in the Wall Street Journal and the Neiman Marcus Catalog. Fred went on to found Bulldozer Digital, the first ad agency specializing in Direct Response Radio Advertising.

He helped launch Priceline.com, FreeCreditReport.com, and Disney On Line. By convincing well-known actor William Shatner to join the venture, Fred helped Priceline rocket to over $1.5 billion dollars in revenue in less than 24 months!

Yes, he has impressive marketing achievements. And while sharing his expertise, Fred asked us all a very insightful question – “Who is your enemy?”

The simple truth is that teams, books, sports, and businesses – they all have enemies to conquer. If they did not have enemies, then nobody would care or call. Here are some classic examples:

Nike vs. Laziness
Priceline vs. Retail
Apple vs. Establishment
Ford vs. Honda
Broncos vs. Kansas City

Make a list of your enemies. Indifference? Economy? Time? Knowledge? The list can be long. Next create a story to tell about how you conquer your enemy, i.e., this can lead to a value proposition. And your story will create attention.

A simple, yet powerful question. This question provides you a great alternative lens or perspective. It helps to focus on your best-fit client. It helps to define your value proposition. It helps to create marketing strategy.

So, who is your enemy?

Contact me for help discovering your enemy and story.