Unpacking the Age of Average

It’s been almost a year since Alex Murrell threw down the gauntlet with his “Age of Average” POV. It’s since made its way across the screens and halls at our agency and countless others; found its way into decks (cited, of course), discussions, and happy hours; and recently was the foundation of Chris Barth’s kickoff at Most Contagious 2024.

If you haven’t read it, you should. But for a quick summary, Alex argues (though it’s not really much of an argument as much as a matter of fact) that:

From film to fashion and architecture to advertising, creative fields have become dominated and defined by convention and cliché. Distinctiveness has died. In every field we look at, we find that everything looks the same.

Once you know it, you’ll start to see it everywhere – interior design, cars, coffee shops, restaurants, products, food photography, office spaces, clothing, architecture, logos, media, brands, advertising. Everything looks and feels the same. It’s all regressing to an average. Can’t see it? Check the article.

I’ve read Alex’s piece probably half a dozen times over the last year, but this last Tour de Average shared by Chris reminded me of a key point:

The “sea of sameness” is the effect, so what’s causing it?

Alex lays out a few reasons why this could be happening: safety in turbulent times, quantification and optimization, inspiration becoming globalized, conventions and codes.

I’ll add one more: inputs.

In any given category, every brand generally has the same access to the same secondary research. We certainly have the same access to the same Internet, audience insight tools, and now the same GPTs. Meanwhile, market research budgets continue to decline. The IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) recently shared that UK market research budgets declined by 5% in Q4 2023. Even if the U.S. has the same rate of decline (I couldn’t find any research on this – please share if you have some), the difference in scale alone would make my head hurt.

Saint Ritson would be appalled. (Mark Ritson)

There’s the budget point, and then there’s what you’re doing with it. Even if you have a killer market research budget, if you’re spending it on repeating the same studies with the same questions (many of which are likely being asked by your competitors), what’s the point? Yes, annual trackers and benchmarking studies are important, but if you want to grab attention and change behavior with your marketing efforts – both inside and outside your company – use just a tad of that budget to ask some different questions and use some different methodologies so you can learn some different things. That little shift could make all the difference.

We all know what it’s called when you do the same thing over and over expecting different results.

So, what to do, what to do?

Well, I like Jessica Vredenburg’s take: Aim for “optimal incongruence.” (s/o Contagious)

Source: Most Contagious 2024. New York, New York.

In short, find the balance between completely obvious and completely out there. Invest in ideas that are just unexpected enough. Invest in ideas that will push the boundaries just enough to stand out and catch people’s eyes. And remember that being just a little bit different from yourself can be just as impactful as being different from the rest.

I’m calling it the “Goldilocks Method.”

FWIW, I’m not suggesting that you shift your brand, its strategy, or its distinctive assets ever so slightly, every single time. In fact, absolutely do not do that. Rather, look for ways to communicate to your category users (and the market at large) with just enough unexpectedness that it sparks some curiosity, fascination, intrigue, and – by golly – maybe even some wonderment.

How can you tell if something is just unexpected enough for your brand?

Does it raise the hair on your arms ever so slightly or make you squirm in your seat a bit? If so, you’re probably onto something.

To help escape the Age of Average, peek outside your comfort zones. Gather fresh inputs, make fresh outputs, and build fresh and resonant memories in your audience’s minds. Optimal incongruence in motion.

“Distinctiveness is dead,” says the Age of Average.

“Long live distinctiveness,” say Alex M., Jenni Romaniuk, and Byron Sharp – and I’ll shamelessly add myself to this list too.

Be uniquely you – and find some slightly unexpected ways to remind your market about it.

Source: Most Contagious 2024. New York, New York.

---

Links, Sources, and Other Things:

https://www.alexmurrell.co.uk/articles/the-age-of-average

https://www.marketingweek.com/mark-ritson-bbc-market-research

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/authenticity-optimal-incongruence-contagious-communications

Photos from Most Contagious/WARC Creative Impact 2024