Every house has a smell the owners can't smell.

The unnerving hint of garlic, or a whiff of a dodgy cheese?

It's the same for brands, every brand has a scent only the public can smell. But none of the employees can smell it, not even if Bob Hope (and his enormous hooter) was the CEO.

Market orientation is a marketers best, and most trusted friend.

The marketing department is the only department who can tell the c-suite what musk they're pumping out.

So, you are the voice of the public in the boardroom.

The biggest brand in your category has all the advantages just by being mahooosive. They have bigger retail footprints, larger contracts, incumbent status and of course even your Grandma has heard of them.

But their boardroom defo has air fresheners... most likely Alpine Meadow, classy.

Their sharpest weakness?

They're further from the customer than an Underdog. They can't, or don't want to, smell their own musky-ness. And it's an advantage Underdogs must exploit.

Remember you only have a teeny number of advantages.

And one of the biggest; you're a gazillion times closer to the public. So make your advantage count.

But how much time should you spend talking to the 'great-unwashed'? My rule of thumb; spend 1 day-a-week on the streets. Talking, listening, watching.

Tim Martin, the owner/founder/chairman of Wetherspoon's famously visits 10 of their pubs a week. That's 3 days-a-week spent on the road smelling his pubs musk-y-ness.

3 days-a-week, are you crazy?

Obvs, your diary can't possibly cope with you disappearing for 3 days a week, because you're dead important. Aren't yer?

But if your diary can't handle 1 day-a-week, then can you really call yourself a marketer?

Do the thing your competition can't, won't or daren't. Talk to the public, smell your garlic-y pits. Let it sting the nostrils.

Underdog brands, need Underdog thinking.