POV vs tagline

If someone doesn’t say the opposite of what you say, it’s not a POV (point of view) — it’s a tagline, and a weak one at that.

Some examples of bad POV attempts:

–Others say they care, but we really do.

–We hold nothing back.

–The truth, liberated.

If someone in your industry doesn’t hear your POV and say, “You’re crazy, that’ll never work,” it’s probably weak.

Some examples of good ones:

–People want furniture they have to assemble themselves. (IKEA)

–Customers will come to you even if you are more expensive and less convenient. (Trader Joe’s)

–The one who makes the soda doesn’t actually have to bottle it. (Coca-Cola)

As you can see, these are not taglines or marketing phrases. These are contrarian ideas the companies believed in so much they bet their very existence on them. They are POVs.

Taglines stick around for about 6 months. A good POV lasts a lifetime.

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