Digital marketing & content expert. Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Keynote speaker. Writer.
I got this direct message from Jess Cook following last week’s MarketingProfs B2B Forum (which was INCREDIBLE, btw): "I just wanted to say thank you for your no-holds-barred keynote at last week's B2B Forum. The content of your talk was incredible (no surprise) but what stood out to me was how you are 100% authentically YOU on stage. "I've been posting on LinkedIn, guesting on podcasts, and hosting my own podcast for the past year or so and I often struggle with how much of me I should put out there. (Am I too quirky?! Will people be ok with that?!) "It was so refreshing and fun to see you up there with your bold suit, your jokes, your energy, your gestures ... thank you for that. It makes me want to put more of ME into everything I do. Best, Jess.” * * * In Boston last week I talked about how the Barbie Movie -- specifically how Weird Barbie is our Hero. In the Barbie movie, Barbieland is populated with neat, beautiful Barbies dressed in pastels. Except for one who stands apart: Weird Barbie. Weird Barbie has been played with too rough. Her hair looks hacked by nail clippers. Someone has taken a Sharpie to her face. She smells like Basement. Weird Barbie is an outsider. Yet her damage is what makes her one of the most interesting and complex Barbies in the movie, the one that doesn't fit with the rest. You could say she’s a common cliche —the outsider whose differences set her apart. But she’s more than that… she’s *memorable.* She's *relatable.* One of the things I’ve learned in 1 million Internet years of writing, creating, and marketing is that the weirder you are… as a writer, as a creator, as a marketer, as a speaker—the more your work resonates. I’m not talking unhinged weird... I’m talking about showing your personality. Your POV. Your oddball take on things that maybe isn't so oddball. Weird gets a bad rap – like it’s a negative thing. It’s not. Weird is good. Weird is real. Weird tells the truth. Weird is memorable. Weird is entertaining. Weird stands out. 👉 We don’t have to choose between entertaining + educating in B2B marketing. We need more weird in B2B Marketing. We need YOU to show your weird, too. It’s the key to thriving in the age of AI (although – spoiler! It always has been!) My advice: Put more Weird Barbie into everything you do. (And thank you, Jess, for letting me share your message.) Love, Ann
Naina Valrani
7mo
Ann Handley ma'am, the analogy of "Weird Barbie" is brilliant. It's a reminder that in a world full of conventional, polished content, it's the quirks, the oddities, and the uniqueness that make us stand out and truly connect with our audience. Your message about embracing our own weirdness as writers, creators, marketers, and speakers is so important. It's a reminder that being true to ourselves, showing our personality, and sharing our unique perspectives is what sets us apart and makes our work memorable. I couldn't agree more with your call for more "weird" in B2B marketing. It's the key to creating content that resonates and engages in this age of AI. Thank you for the inspiring message and for encouraging all of us to put more "Weird Barbie" into everything we do.
Matt Gentile
7mo
is that Phylis Dillar?
John Francis
7mo
Weird doesn't work for every brand but if you can pull it off, then all of the above. You can use any number of triggers to elevate your brand and stand out across touch points of sight, sound, touch and smell. I think the take home message is to be, CREATIVE! It's easier said than done to do the things 99% of the other people aren't doing. To get there, it takes powerful brainstorming to the "absurd levels" of thinking. I went to the best workshop 10+ years ago that taught us to do just this. Your first 20+ ideas are the same ideas everyone thought of. When you think of the next 20+ ideas, you'll find more unique ideas in the mix; but still the ideas most people think of. It's that next layer of deeper thinking...the absurdities...that brings out the best ideas. I recall from the workshop the iPod was one of those absurd ideas before it became mainstream. #stayweird #theblackpolomarketer
Michal Bohanes
7mo
I used to think along these lines, but I changed my mind about it. Look at the most successful people in every industry. They're not weird. They're just incredibly thorough, hard-working and competent. Sure, they may have the occasional quirk, but it's a tiny detail compared to the real reason for their success which is insane levels of skills and competence. Hormozi isn't Hormozi because of his wifebeater and flannel. He's just incredibly good at what he does, articulate and has a sky high IQ, and works 80+ hour weeks as a matter of course. The highest paid actors in Hollywood (Cruise, Will Smith, Downey Jr, Keanu, Leo)? None of them are weird in the Weird Barbie sense. By encouraging people to be weird and use that as their USP, you're distracting them from what would otherwise be their highest leverage activity: Becoming insanely competent. You get the LinkedIn influencer to throw out her clothes and buy everything in pink so that she can be the "LinkedIn PinkedIn lady", instead of spending that time and money to become better at her craft. Yes, Weird is entertaining and stands out. Does it make the most money and is the most successful? Nope. Not by a long shot.
Angela Brown
7mo
True story: I actually ordered weird Barbie when I found out she was available for sale and plan to display her on my desk 😄
Tina 💜 Lorenz
7mo
Awesome. Totally embracing your authentic self is the only way to be truly inspired in your business. Otherwise, what's the point? OWN your WEIRD!💯 And BTW... How many people do you think will be Weird Barbie's for Halloween? 🤔
Thanks for sharing Ann. This resonates since I'm basically hearing the same thing everywhere these days. Guess I'll just have to be a Weird Ken.
Tim Kachuriak
7mo
Here’s to keeping it weird Ann!
Yvette Brown
7mo
Touché Ann. Molly Mahoney calls it the “Quesadilla of Awesomeness”. It’s taken a long time, but I think even enterprise (and B2B) finally sees that what makes us uniquely human is what resonates with other humans. Know, like, trust is the pathway to engagement and sales.
Digital marketing & content expert. Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Keynote speaker. Writer.
7mop.s. If you are wondering what the MarketingProfs B2B Forum fuss is about... you really should join us next year! We have a handful of tickets left at this price: https://mpb2b.marketingprofs.com/register-2024/ (And if you change your mind later, Shelley in Customer Service will fully refund your money. She told me to tell you that.)