Better vs different

Last week I attended the ‘Rise to Greatness’ event here in Sydney.
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There were 14 speakers across brand, business and leadership.
There was even a magician.
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And then there was Chris Do with a 2 hour keynote with 250+ beautiful slides.
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His session focused on branding, personal branding and design.
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Everything from brand ROI, positioning, storytelling and some friendly debate on brand vs product. (Do not get Chris started on Ikea!)
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Chris has been a mentor of mine since his early YouTube days on The Skool / The Futur™. Now he’s sitting on 2.8M+ subscribers. 🤯

He has spoken as a guest expert inside our community and on the JUST Branding Podcast (which has a new episode out now on B2B Branding).

No matter the event, big or small, Chris always gives so generously!
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This event was no exception.

Below are a few practical takeaways.

Chris also shared a summary document from the event (email required).
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​• The 5Rs of Brand ROI:​
Reputation, Relationships, Revenue, Retention, Renewal.
(Use these to sell the value of brand.)
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​• Social media is the new resume. ​
(It’s not who you know, but who knows you. )
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​• Have the courage to be disliked. ​
(Choose an enemy. Pick a fight, but always punch up.)
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• “Different is better than better.” — Sally Hogshead.
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​• “The mainstream is polluted.” — Dr. Martens (Aka be different).
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And to round it out:
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​• The brand with the best* story wins.​
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*Best = meaningfully different.
It does not mean better product.
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Case in point:
Water without a story = commodity.
Water plus a story = premium.
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So… are you trying to be better?
Or distinct enough to be chosen?
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There's a difference.
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Flock ordinary.
Stand the flock out.
🦩

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PS. The Simply Profitable Summit is coming up on March 16 to 20. It brings together 20+ design business experts focused on one thing: How to design websites that convert in the AI era.

🎟 Grab your free ticket ​

My session is on how to create a signature offer that converts!