Albert Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” Think about that and then ask yourself if your current advertising strategy is based in insanity.

I’ve spoken with several local small business owners this past week who, like many others, have cut their ad budgets due to the economy and declining foot traffic in their stores. The interesting thing is that they were all very frank about the fact that their advertising wasn’t producing great results even before they scaled it back. My question to them was: “if your tactics weren’t effective when you were spending $5,000 per month, what makes you think they will be effective when you’re spending $2,500 per month?”

The problem is not the amount of money they were spending. The problem is the tactics they’ve chosen. If they don’t work, then doing more or less of the same thing isn’t going to change that.

We are happy to have been associated with the Epilepsy Foundation of Mississippi’s annual fund raising event, “Off the Leash for Epilepsy”, this past weekend. The foundation raised awareness and lots of money for their programs and services for Mississippians living with seizure disorders. They also set a record for total sponsors! Mojoloco helped in naming and branding the event as well as production and public relations throughout the event lead-up. This is the second year we’ve helped the foundation with their major annual fund raiser. We had a blast- with the people and the dogs- and look forward to next year’s event!

Bud Light has saturated the market with their new positioning strategy: “Drinkability.” I want to address this because this, to me, is a poster-child for a bad positioning strategy. There are plenty of examples, both nationally and locally.

The goal of any marketing campaign is to differentiate itself from the competition. Tell your market how and why you’re different from the other guy so that they’ll buy your stuff. Unique Selling Proposition (or USP) is one theory that explains how to do this. A strong USP is supposed to have three components (1) it should make present a specific, tangible benefit, (2) it must be unique to that brand, and (3) it should inspire consumers to change.

“Drinkability” doesn’t mean any of these criteria. So why pick that word? Bottom line: “Drinkability” is a smoke & mirrors campaign. Bud Light is trying to edge in on Miller Lite’s position of “tastes great, less filling.” After all, “taste” and “healthy” are two very strong USP’s. The question is: will it work? All I can say is that Mr. and Mrs. Consumer and their Consumerlings aren’t stupid.

Oxford University today released a list of the Top Ten Most Irritating Phrases. I admit, I am absolutely guilty of using a number of these phrases quite often. With all due respect to Oxford, however, if these phrases are used in fairly unique contexts, and not just 24/7, then they aren’t really so annoying. Right? After all, at the end of the day, it’s a nightmare trying to come up with unique phrases and expressions. I suppose we shouldn’t of all used the same ones…then at least some of us would be able to claim originality.

If you want to set yourself apart in your category, then have an original thought. Don’t be original in the same way that your competitors are original. Be truly original. Start by coming up with original words and phrases to describe your brand. Really, it’s not rocket science…

Actually, I’m sure there are a number of lessons to glean from the past few months of watching the candidates duke it out. But there’s one really, really important one. It’s a lesson about owning a word FIRST in the mind of the consumer…or, in the case of the election…the voter. Obama owned change. He owned it because he was the first to use it. That’s how it works in brand theory. Remember, marketing is a battle of perception, not products. It doesn’t matter what the truth is…it only matters what consumers believe. And, the brand that claims a word first, usually gets to own it.

Wow. It’s November 5, and I’m looking at a crisp, clear morning sky. I’m sure at least half the country is amazed that it didn’t fall on our heads last night. Whether the sky falls or hangs on to its celestial hooks for another 4 years…I’m just glad the election is over. So, let’s all take a big, fat, freakin’ pill, and just…move on.