Drilling for Diamonds

“If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit a third time - a tremendous whack.”

- Winston Churchill

In her book, POP!, Stand Out in Any Crowd, author Sam Horn tells us that one of the most dramatic examples of a crafted soundbite was one used by the late Johnny Cochran, one of the defense lawyers for O.J. Simpson.

Can you remember the trial?

It went on for months. The jury heard testimony from dozens of experts and witnesses. But the dramatic moment came when O.J. Simpson was asked to try on a glove arguably worn by Nicole Simpson’s murderer.

Many people believe O.J. Simpson exaggerated the difficulty of putting on the glove, but Johnny Cochran amplified the doubt over O.J. Simpson’s guilt with this pile driving soundbite.

“If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”

Many legal analysts believe that this - Cochran’s summation encapsulated by this one soundbite - won the case. The phrase was doubly impactful because it recalled a visual demonstration.

The best PowerPoint presenters conclude with a pithy statement that recalls an earlier slide that had high visual impact.

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Marketing pioneers have to be prepared to put aside their customers immediate concerns or needs.

Henry Ford who sold over 1 million Model T Fords, and invented motoring for the masses was once asked what inspired him to create the Model T car.

Ford’s answer, “If I’d asked people what they wanted, they would have asked for a better horse.”

If Steve Jobs of Apple fame had asked us what we wanted, would we have said, a hand held device that stores all of our music?

If Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon had asked what we wanted in 1990, would we have said a huge virtual bookstore? No, of course not.

Real innvators have to think outside the square and anticipate customer needs.

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