Will the real leader please stand up?

Here's a fun game to play when you need a distraction at work.

Google "the leader" and then any industry...you name it. Here's one to get you started: "the leader" and "internet security". You'll see it's a tie between Symantec and Norton.

Wait a minute. Can they both be the leader?

Here's another: "the leader" and "storage software". Here we had a 3 way tie between Symantec, Veritas and EMC. Then Symantec took matters into their own hands and bought Veritas. So now it's between Symantec and EMC.

But are two leaders any more believable than three?

Play the game a bit and you'll see there are multiple leaders in just about every space. How can this be? Well, obviously, it can't. But that hasn't stopped marketers from slapping the tag line behind their brand.

We are so bombarded with everyone claiming to be the leader the claim no longer has meaning. It's not believable and, most of all, it's not authentic. Yet the term is rampant in almost every industry.

Saying you're the leader doesn't make it so. It's become one of those ubiquitous and tired terms we all use in the marketing industry. I think we as marketers can, and should, do better.

Comments

[olivier blanchard]

Tell it!