Marketing Jargon - "The Other Guys"

Have you ever noticed how many advertisers and marketers call the competition "the other guys?" It's pretty stupid. I'll explain why they do it.

You see, in the halls of any manufacturer's headquarters brand managers are totally obsessed with "the competition." They don't care whether they are #1 or #20 in the market, they talk in very violent, war-like terms about killing the completion, burying the competition, wiping out the competition and the likes.

The thing is, they realize (except for automobile dealers) that people don't think in terms of "the competition." When we make a choice between one brand or service over another, we don't think in terms of competition for our business. We just try to decide who's a better value for our dollar. We're sure not trying to kill one brand by selecting it over another.

But they can't stand not bashing the competition - except, have you also noticed this - they are totally afraid to mention "the competition" by name. First of all, they're scared they'll get sued for saying something derogatory. But more importantly they are afraid if they mention the competition's name, they just might inadvertently drive some business to them. They figure the public is stupid anyway, so they certainly don't want to educate them about who else might be deserving of their attention.

Hence, "the other guys." It serves the marketer's obsessive need to lash out at the competition, while at the same time not specifying who they are or saying anything tangible about them. It's completely gutless and lame, but if you pay attention you'll be amazed at how many brands use it. Pizza Hut and Geico Insurance are two of the biggest perpetrators.

Pizza Hut is running a TV commercial in which a wimpy guy dances around on one foot with several pizza boxes in his hands. He shouts to someone - presumably his wife, but from the looks of him it could be his boyfriend - "HONEY, THE PIZZA HUT DELIVERY MAN MESSED UP AGAIN! HE GAVE ME THREE MEDIUM SINGLE-TOPPING PIZZAS WITH MY CHOICE OF CRUST FOR A LIMITED TIME FOR THE SAME PRICE AS THE OTHER GUYS!"

(Yes, I made it even lamer than it actually is - but not by much.)

And Geico talks about eliminating the middle man, unlike the other guys. I'm not sure this is all that much of a benefit, but if they had some guts they would not only mention the competition but give us their rates the same way Progressive does. Progressive has a innovative approach that warrants their name. Geico just tries to murder the competition without telling us anything about them.

So the next time some advertiser talks about "the other guys" please roll your eyes and realize this is nothing more than a paranoid expression of their fear of competition. And then check out those other guys. They just might be a better deal!