When you think about positioning your business, where do you turn for comparison?
Most executives and marketers default to benchmarking against their direct competitors. They analyze rival products, pricing strategies, and marketing campaigns. Their goal is to improve by small increments.
It’s an instinct, but it’s also a trap. By measuring yourself against the competition, you risk becoming a slightly better version of what already exists—a "me too" brand that’s marginally cheaper, faster, or more efficient.
That’s not a leadership position. It’s playing catch-up.
The Best Comparisons Come from Other Industries
True leaders don’t obsess over the competition. Instead, they look beyond their industry for inspiration.
Consider industries with heavy regulation—pharmaceuticals, finance, and healthcare. Many organizations like these take a conservative approach to marketing, fearful of stepping outside the norm. If banks only compare themselves to other banks, they’ll all end up with the same predictable, uninspired strategies.
Forward-thinking marketers at financial institutions don’t just look at what other banks are doing; they study brands that engage consumers with storytelling, digital experiences, and bold messaging. Why should a bank avoid using YouTube just because its competitors haven’t embraced video content?
The Power of Learning from Unlikely Sources
Some of the most exciting marketing innovations happen when organizations borrow ideas from completely different industries.
- Nonprofits take cues from for-profit businesses.
- B2B marketers study B2C engagement tactics.
- Service providers model product companies.
- Lawyers learn from novelists.
- Novelists learn from journalists.
Stepping outside your industry forces you to think differently.
My Own Approach: Learning from Rock Stars
I’ve always been fascinated by live music. I’ve been to over 1,000 live performances since I was a teenager and at shows I study how musicians connect with their audiences.
I don’t have any musical talent, but I’ve applied lessons from the musical stage to my work as a keynote speaker.
I’ve learned a lot from artists like Miley Cyrus, Jack White, Madonna, and Mick Jagger—musicians who own the stage and build a deep connection with their audience. I notice how they move, how they interact, and how they make their performances unforgettable.
At my speaking events, I sometimes do unusual things I learned from watching rock stars. For example, I might invite audience members onto the stage for a photo.
If there is a large speaker or monitor on the stage, I try to find an opportunity to jump onto it and lean into the audience—just like a lead singer commanding a crowd. I’ve never seen another business speaker do this, and that’s exactly the point.
By learning from rock bands instead of business speakers, I’ve developed a more unique and personal style than if I had simply followed industry norms.
Where Do You Look for Inspiration?
Do you limit yourself to studying the competition? Or do you seek fresh ideas from outside your industry?
The best ideas often come from unexpected places. Maybe your next breakthrough isn’t in your sector at all—it’s waiting for you in a completely different world.
IMAGES: David Meerman Scott at Tony Robbins Business Mastery via RRI. Madonna at TD Garden in Boston by David Meerman Scott.
