Even though his reign is ending, there are some interesting things marketers everywhere can learn from his story.
His is a face every marketer (or casual facebook user for that matter) knows… You know you’ve “made it” when your face becomes the highlight of hundreds of memes.
“He may not always ______, but when he does ____”
…Well, it made for a lot of laughs – and a lot of money.
You may have heard the news that the “most interesting man in the world” (Jonathan Goldsmith) is suddenly not that interesting to Dos Equis after all. After nine years, his reign is ending and the beer maker is saying so long to everyone’s suave and tan friend… in favor of a new, yet-to-be-released character that is younger and better reflects the dramatically changing culture. He’ll be this generation’s most interesting man.
Now there’s an interesting thing about interesting things… They never demand attention – they captivate it. They compel you to look. And Goldsmith’s character did just that. He found himself in uncommon situations, made people smile, was aspirational and authentic. And for this formerly unknown beer brand, that character broke through, developed a cult following and sold millions of dollars.
Dos Equis isn’t everyone’s favorite beer. They may not even be all that great tasting when compared to all the other options available… But that doesn’t really matter. For their target market… and their target audience… they mattered. Dos Equis and the Most Interesting Man stood out. Staying relevant and keeping pace with market pressures and demands is certainly an insight that can be gleaned from this news, but something else can be seen too. It’s not really about being the MOST interesting in the world… it’s about being the MOST interesting in YOUR world. For an unknown, Mexican beer brand, they became relevant and significantly grew their brand as a result. And now they realize that to continue that trajectory they’re going to need to make a change.
So, what are you doing to differentiate and stand out in your marketplace? Things that are interesting compel an audience to take notice… How are you serving your clients or leaders unlike anyone else? Those things will make you extremely interesting. How are you flipping a common paradigm on its head? You too might have a muliti-million dollar movement on your hands.
You don’t have to be the most interesting in the world… just the most interesting in YOUR world. Stay interesting my friends…