Who’s Standing Out on American Idol & Why That Matters to You

On the first “elimination” show of this season’s American Idol on FOX, a talented singer named Patrick was surprisingly voted off the show.

Why?

As Simon Cowell explained in his typical cut-to-the-chase style, “You have a good voice and you’re a nice guy. You just didn’t do the one thing necessary to go through to the next round. You didn’t stand out from the crowd.”

Yet another reminder that “Talent is important; it is not enough.”

Whether you’re applying for a job, running for office, or competing for a contract, it’s important to remember that credentials will only get you so far.

How are you POPing out of the pack? How are you memorable? What are you saying or offering that no one else is? How are you giving decision-makers a compelling reason to select you over the other choices?

The premise of my presentations on POP! Stand Out In Any Crowd is that it is our responsibility to clearly, concisely, and compellingly differentiate ourselves from competitors.

Marilynn Mobley, author of the excellent www.remainrelevant.blogspot.com, sends me items that POP! out in her search for organizations that are keeping themselves visible and commercially viable. A recent example is a Disney-sponsored community service program. There are thousands of volunteer groups. How could Disney make theirs unique? Call it VoluntEARS.

That’s a great example of POP! This “stand out in any crowd” name is:

Purposeful - It plays off and reinforces their brand icon of Mickey Mouse.
Original - No one else calls their community service program this.
Pithy - It is succinct and easy to repeat which means it’s easy to remember.

I’m nominating VoluntEARS to the 2006 POP! Hall of Fame.

Do you have a business slogan that is Purposeful, Original, and Pithy? Do you have an elevator introduction that gets you noticed and remembered? Have you given your product a name that helps it POP! off the shelf?

Submit it to me here or at www.SamHorn.com and you could be featured in an upcoming blog entry and nominated to the 2006 POP Hall of Fame.