Part of: Seth Godin on Story – A Collection
This is the shortest page in the set, but I’m all for secret weapons.
The effective way to use a cliché is to point to it and then do precisely the opposite. Juxtapose the cliché with the unexpected truth of what you have to offer. Apple does this all the time. They point out the cliché of a laptop or a desktop or an MP3 player and then they turn it upside down.
Richard Branson takes the expected boredom of a CEO and turns it upside down by doing things you don’t expect.
I often use the Encyclopedia of Clichés to find clichés that then inspire opposites. It’s a secret weapon and it’s all yours now. Have fun.
Whatcha Gonna Do with That Duck?: And Other Provocations (2013) – Seth Godin
See Also: