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- One Piss Easy Hack to STAND OUT in Crowded Categories - lessons from Ed Sheeran, Geordie Shore and My First Trip to Aiya Napa
One Piss Easy Hack to STAND OUT in Crowded Categories - lessons from Ed Sheeran, Geordie Shore and My First Trip to Aiya Napa
Dan Pope
August 09, 2024
Our jaws dropped like thunderous theme park rides hurtling down when he (or it) walked past Starbucks Gatwick Terminal 3 at 5.56am.
Our eyes curdled with sleepy bogey eye trash. Even the short, cigar stubby Puerto Rican barista stopped writing “Greg” on Greg’s Frappuccino.
Gruff Gary and Sleepy Stu and Tired Trev taxi drivers stopped and starred too.
Eager Beaver Passengers pon oroute to Fuerta Ventura (“packed in like bloody Sardines aren’t we”).
My confidence was furiously feeble like the skin on school dinner custard.
Our group. HARIBO Starmix of Insecurities. Tangfastic Sour anxieties. Rowntree Randoms dress sense.
All kicked through TopMan Guildford by our mothers-who-took-us-for-a-Pizza-Express-and-packed-the-Condoms-from-Boots.
We were 18. 2012. Just left school. Geordie Shore on the Tele.
All of us obsessed with getting Wham. Tonk. Ripped and Randy. And, ultimately, laid.
Our first Aiyaaaa Napa trip. Aiyyaaaaa Aiyaaaaaaa Aiyaaaaaa Fokin’ Napa
Sun, Second-Base-If-Lucky and Suspicious Parents.
Outside Starbucks, waiting for our final friend Henry to join the Motley Crew of Muppets.
“Bye Mummy, call you when I get there and yes I’ve packed the connies”
Our friend Henry, looked like Ed Sheeran, milk bottle skin and strawberry blonde foxy barnet with a brace of icy Canadian Lake blue eyes.
He trotted in, fast clip, oh yes a pompous struta-ta-ta-tut, like an arrogant thoroughbred staight outta Pillock Paddock
“HOWAY, MAN. Howay, man it’s freezin!”
“WEY AYE, MAN!”
“What ye uptee tomorra?”, “I divvina, pet.”
“awite boyzz, Immaaa do this Geordie style me, like”
“Just said bye to me Mamm, this is Mint, like”
What. The. Actual.Fuck?
Henry transmogrified from Private School Plonker into a Geordie Shore Zealot.
Cream white skin spray tanned Ooompa Loompa orange (or, actually, more akin, to his Father’s Terracotta roof from the family’s cheeky bolt hole in Cap Ferat).
Henry’s eyebrows morphed from Sloaney Pony-Fukka-Me-They’re-Bushy-to perfectly Primmed Perfect WEY AYE, MAN!
Henry was uncontrollably shouting in Geordie like a broken toy on a busy playroom carpet
“WEY AYE, MAN!“
“HOWAY, MAN.
“WEY AYE, MAN!“
Jake dropped his Pret A Manger Tuna and Cucumber Sarnie and
screamed:
“Hennnnnnnnnnrrrrrryyyyyy, COME BACK”.
“Please Henry.”
“Pleease Mother of God, Please.”
Henry again :: and :: again :: again :: again.
“WEY AYE, MAN!“
“HOWAY, MAN.
“WEY AYE, MAN!“
Calum shouted shouted:
“Mate, mate, mate, someone fucking do something, mate”
“Please say you’re in the House Chamber Choir… Please say you’re still up for singing Akunaa Matada in the House Accapella?”
Henry again :: and :: again :: again :: again.
“WEY AYE, MAN!“
“HOWAY, MAN.
“WEY AYE, MAN!“
Rufus shouted:
“Boys, MayDay, May fucking Day…. Henry’s listening to Lethal Bizzle on his iPod Touch… has anyone got some James Morrison or Paulo Nutini or some shit?!”
Henry again :: and :: again :: again :: again.
“WEY AYE, MAN!“
“HOWAY, MAN.
“WEY AYE, MAN!“
Henry again :: and :: again :: again :: again.
“WEY AYE, MAN!“
“HOWAY, MAN.
“WEY AYE, MAN!“
Bertie
”Someone call his fucking Mother. Right Now. Ohhh Forrr FUCCKKKK SAKEEEE she’s at a Girlies rosè lunch at a Gastro Pub in Shere”
“Someone get rid of his JD Spots Adidas Sliders, let’s get som eirkenstocks on him now. NOW I said. RIGHT FUCKING NOW> ”
That diatribe is partly true. Mainly false. Hhhhhhhmmmm?
But it explains a lesson on brand positioning.
Categories are like private school kids going to Aiya Napa. Everyone looks the same. Same. Same. Same.
All it takes is for someone or some brand to completely REINVENT themselves. Suddenly, you and your brand stands out.
Ed Sheeran did something similar.
Just listening to Ed (on me’ Ed son) on a podcast with Theo Von.
Ed Sheeran didn’t stand out in the “Acoustic Guitarist, Suffolk Crew”.
Ed was like everyone else. Looked like everyone else. Sung like everyone else. Played like everyone else.
Then, everything changed.
Ed reinvented himself.
Ed Sheeran started playing on SBTV. A rap Youtube channel. And, started playing at Black Comedy Clubs, too.
Ed suddenly STOOD OUT. A white Ginger kid covered in tatts suddenly STANDS OUT playing on a rap music channel.
Sometimes you don’t need to reinvent your product.
You just need to reinvent your positioning.
Like the Private School Kid who reinvented himself to be a Geordie before Aiyyyaaa Aiyyyyaaaa Aiyyyyaaaaaaaa Fucking Napaaaa.
Or Ed Sheeran who went to SBTV.
How though?
Steal the clothes of other categories.
Apply them to your category.
Stand Out.
Liquid Death. Stole the clothes from Death Metal and Comedy = STAND OUT.
ENGINE. Stole the clothes from petrol cans and racing drives = Stand out
This crisp brand stole the clothes from Trippy festivals and even quirky mushroom coffee brands = Stand out.
This Oliver Oil brand literally just whacked olive oil in a can and took the semiotics from pizza brands = Stand out.
If you want to disrupt just steal the clothes of other categories
Ta Ta
Toodle Pip
Bon Voyageeee
Have a good weekend
Popey-D xx
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