Marketing in 2017: Breadth or Depth?
In 2017, you have a choice that can break or make your brand — you can go deep or go broad.
Breadth is appealing to everyone. Depth is focusing on the people who matter.
Breadth is shallow and intrusive. Depth is significant and engaging.
Breadth does not require a commitment. Depth needs dedication and devotion.
Breadth is easier and safer. Depth is harder and riskier.
Breadth is complexity. Depth is simplicity.
Breadth is fooling around. Depth is love.
Digital is about depth, not breadth. People do not want more content, faster. They want more of the things that they love, e.g., Game of Thrones, Westworld, and Homeland. For the most part, however, they are not getting it from brands.
Providing depth requires a sacrifice of choice, people, time, and resources. Successful brands know this well.
Steve Jobs transformed Apple by reducing the number of products by 70 percent. The move to a smaller product line and a greater focus on quality and innovation paid off. During Jobs’ first fiscal year after his return to Apple, ending in September 1997, the company lost $1.04 billion and was “90 days from being insolvent” as Jobs says in his book. One year later, the company turned a $309 million profit.
CVS quit smoking and grew into a health care giant. The move to forgo $2 billion in annual tobacco sales has bolstered CVS’s health care bona fides.
Netflix doubled original production in 2016. The service is focusing on quality, not quantity, of content. Netflix did not renew deals like Epix movie in 2015. Netflix focuses on a relatively small increase in the volume of content at a high price. This shows that Netflix intends to stand out.
Today, every industry is getting disrupted in some shape or form. Startups are all about depth. They are laser-focused on one thing, which they try to do better than anyone else. Digital enterprises, such as Google, Netflix, and Amazon, also play by similar rules, focusing on quality, not quantity. In 2017, you have a choice: Breadth or depth.
