I have a lousy memory.  I’m not sure if it’s because I popped a few brain cells during my college days…well, we won’t go into that.  Or if it’s because I just get overloaded with too much information. It drives me crazy when I call someone and while I’m on hold, I get distracted and suddenly forget who I called.  Now that’s embarrassing!  But I know it’s not just me. We’re all victims of forgetfulness at one time or another.

The reason I bring this up is that our poor brains, not just mine, can retain only so much information. And the first thing that goes is the stuff that doesn’t grab our attention and burn itself into the memory banks in the first place.  Like an ad for a funeral home, particularly when nobody’s dying. It’s just so much background noise that gets filtered out.

So what sticks?  Things that break the pattern.  The unexpected. That which is different. And therein lies the secret to all successful advertising.  If it’s not different, it won’t get noticed, let alone retained.

A few years ago, my agency created the slogan “Dare to be Different” which was specifically targeted to funeral directors and cemetery operators.  Our first ad in the series featured a grim black and white image of a vulture in a tree with the headline “Image is everything. How’s yours?”  Its message pointed to the fact, based on first-hand research, that many people have a less attractive idea of the funeral business than what’s real – and the right marketing can address that.

We ran the ad in most of the funeral trades, and as outrageous as the photo was, it grabbed our audience’s attention. There was nothing else like it in the trades.  (Yes, a few people were put off by its blunt message, but most got the point and appreciated its surprising approach.)

The next ad showed a hearse decorated as if for a wedding, with ribbons and tin cans off the bumper, and on the rear window, “Just Buried” was spray painted. Its headline, “Dare to be Different,” spoke to the need to step outside conventional boundaries to have any impact.

These ads helped put our agency front and center as a leader in creative funeral advertising.  You see, we actually practiced what we preach and put our own money where our mouths are.

In the latest iteration of my agency, LA ads, “Dare to be Different” remains our motto. It’s what is necessary to rise above the noise level.  More important, it’s mandatory if one wants to be remembered when a critical need suddenly arises and focus can be difficult.  There’s only so much room in the cranium and all but the most memorable gets pushed aside.

So that’s my message to all advertisers in the funeral business.  Dare to be Different.

I just dare ya.