Marketing Like Simon Cowell

If you’re a fan of American Idol then you probably miss Simon Cowell about now? Love or hate the man, you have to agree that he knew how to position artists. Many times he picked on some of my favorite contestants, but I knew he was right.

Here are some of my favorite Simon Cowell quotes from blogs.accesshollywood.com:

“I think you may have just blown a massive opportunity by being forgettable.”
Basically, you don’t stand out from the rest. I’m looking at 10, 15, 20+ other companies and you give me nothing to remember you by and no reason to stand out. To compete in today’s business you either have to be cheap (which I don’t suggest) or differentiate. By differentiating your business from your competitors, you isolate why clients choose you. It can be creativity, time, niche expertise, geography, passion, etc. Find out what makes your company different and tell everyone. Sometimes Simon would simply say, “I won’t remember you tomorrow.”

“I thought the song was a bit gimmicky.”
You’re faking it and I don’t believe you. You need to be genuine because I’m putting my trust and faith in you for this multi-million dollar project. People do business with people they like and if you’re faking it, it will come back to haunt you.

“My only issue with you is that I don’t think you have, at the moment, any star quality.”
If you’re going to run with the big dogs, you need to be a big dog—not just a loud bark. Build your portfolio of projects up by continuing to work on bigger and better projects. If all you’ve ever worked on is half-million dollar remodeling projects, how can I trust you with a $10 million construction project? Develop a niche and become a star. Price doesn’t matter when you have 15 projects in your prospects industry and your competitor has 15 projects in 10 different industries. Simon told another contestant that he was out of his league by saying, “If we were searching for the best hotel singer in California then that would have been quite good. The simple truth is your voice is not good enough for that song.”

“I like you. I’m just not buying the hype tonight.”
As I mentioned before, people do business with people they like. Actually, clients are often more forgiving with hangups if they like you. Be genuine and show your personality; give people a chance get to know you and your company.

Didn’t think Simon knew anything about business? He understands the basic principles of brand marketing—be unique, be genuine, and differentiate to stand out and be remembered.