Why Playing It Safe Is Making Your Marketing Invisible
At Quest, we’ve noticed something: too many brands are playing it safe. Safe messaging. Familiar channels. The marketing equivalent of comfort food. It fills a gap, but it doesn’t work.
Here’s the hard truth – blending in is no longer a viable option. It makes you invisible.
In a world where AI is generating more content than humans can ever consume, being “pretty good” is a fast track to being forgotten. What cuts through? Audacity. Not recklessness, but the willingness to be different and take risks when everyone else plays it safe. To tell a story only your brand can tell. To show up in places where people don’t expect you. To invite voices outside the usual suspects.
Marketing thought leader Mark Schaefer’s book Audacious crystallises this thinking. He argues that the brands thriving tomorrow will be those willing to disrupt the ordinary – whether that’s through the story they tell, the stage they tell it on, or the people they empower to tell it.
We agree. And the proof isn’t only in case studies – it’s in our daily work. From OEM manufacturing innovators rethinking how products are built, to exporters taking New Zealand stories to the world, to trades businesses redefining trust in local communities, to agricultural pioneers painting the future of sustainable food production – the campaigns that work hardest are those that dare to feel a little uncomfortable at first.
Here’s the marketing tactics that will drive growth
Borrow new voices – let customers, employees, or even industry media tell your story, adding raw credibility.
Unforgettable visuals – think larger-than-life product demos or installations using drone aerials that spark instant interest and shares.
Play with humour and edge – people remember brands that dare to be entertaining, the most human company wins.
Mix the mediums – break norms with short demo videos, or live pop-up activations.
Be radically transparent – reveal behind-the-scenes truths, even the messy ones, to earn trust and loyalty.
At Quest, we believe great marketing isn’t about chasing attention for its own sake – it’s about finding the courage to stand apart in ways that are true to who you are. The future belongs to brands that pursue a marketing strategy to be remembered.
If you want to win trust, you have to reveal who you are. The most human company wins.
And if you want to win attention? Don’t play if safe with your marketing.
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