Several years back:
I read about this hotel. It touted itself as the world’s worst place to stay at. And it had abysmal reviews on all the popular travel sites.
But, guess what?
The hotel was ALWAYS fully booked!
In fact, sometimes you even had to book in advance to stay there.
The secret of their success?
They marketed themselves for what they were best at.
Namely:
They were the best at…
… being the worst hotel in the world.
They started running advertising on how their rooms were scientifically tested for (and proven to have) dozens of different types of mold, and… if you’d never seen giant cockroaches the size of your fist before… this hotel was the best zoo you’d ever go to, and… how their rooms included free toilet flushing (no extra charge), and even boasted themselves on how terrible their customer service was (if you miss the feeling of being verbally abused as a child, this place will bring back memories).
People flocked to the hotel like kids to a Disneyland.
They were drawn to the sheer novelty of it.
And everyone wanted to stay there just to see how bad it was.
But whether they stayed the whole night, or ran screaming back to their homes before their stay ended, that I have no clue.
The moral of the story though?
People LOVE extremes.
And they couldn’t care less about the averages.
No one cares if you’re the 3rd best hotel in the country, or maybe the 7th worst place to stay in the world. Do you ever hear people arguing about who’s the 5th best quarterback of all time?
Didn’t think so.
That’s why…
… no matter what sort of creative profession you’re in…
… or even if you’re working a business or a day job…
… find something you can be the best in the world at…
… or even the worst.
Preferably, you’ll want a narrow niche that plays to your strengths. And talents. Don’t try to be all things to all people.
Extremes get you attention.
And attention gets you…
… well, a lot of stuff.
Customers for example.
For me?
I’m the best in the world at illustrating beautiful, black and white, botanical borders.
But you probably already knew that. 🙂
Sincerely,
Aurelia Nobleia
"I’m The Best At Something!"
P.S. A couple days ago, we were watching an amazing video that was trending on YouTube.
It was about being:
"Inside Japan’s WORST Hotel Room"
Granted that Japan is known for it’s relentless pursuit of perfection, it makes sense that this video caught eyeballs and went viral.
People never change. 🙂
Be the best or the worst at something. It really helps.
