I’m a big believer in thinking outside the box. But this direction can be pushed too far.
A friend of mine falls a little too far into the bizarre category. His actions are distracting to others. When you put your own needs in front of others, sometimes you can step on too many toes. If you only feel comfortable in a cool room, should you open the window and make everyone else want to leave the room?
Chris Brogan advocates for being yourself*, which can be good. But this can go too far. If being yourself means wearing a tall hat in the movie theater, should you?
This definitely applies to business.
It’s great to to think of new and fresh ways to communicate what your business or organization does. What you offer must stand out in a very crowded marketplace. Even if your service or “thing” is totally unique, you have to frame it in a way that makes it appealing to those you’re trying to reach.
But don’t go too far. You have to consider the comfort zone of your potential customers. It’s good to stretch people – but not too far!
