When 'best practice' doesn't work

Why do we persist in doing things that don’t work?

I get the sneaking feeling that it’s because often, we don’t notice they aren’t working. Perhaps because, as Paul Graham says , if you think something’s supposed to hurt, you’re less likely to notice if you’re doing it wrong.

This week Amelia Zimmerman and I are inviting you to think about what it might look like to apply opposite thinking to climate tech marketing.

Might we see more success if we gave people less of what we think we’re “supposed to” give and more of what they don’t expect?

This article originally appeared in The Climate Hub newsletter. Sign up free here .

Why do we cling to methods that fail to give results?

One problem might be not knowing what success looks like in the first place. (This is less of an issue in our data-obsessed world, but one still worth mentioning.) A worse problem might be having a small frame of reference for what success could look like.?

Those of you working with carbon accounting or adjacent software tend to have a thorough understanding of which tactics resonate with your audience thanks to a well-oiled content marketing engine. But for those focused on other verticals, especially the hardware side of climate tech, you typically have less to go on.

(This wouldn’t be the case if more of you focused on content and climate education, but that’s a topic for a different day ??)

With less data to work from, many marketers and COOs fall back on comfort, safety, and habit, resulting in ineffective or may-as-well-be nonexistent marketing initiatives.

Comfort. Many claim their aim is differentiation, but few succeed in achieving it. While your branding efforts should reflect your “what,” putting too much focus on how your brand’s website “SHOULD” sound based on what your technology is and what feels comfortable rather than the human-driven personality behind your mission is a surefire way to drastically decrease your noticeability.?

Safety. As Amelia mentioned last week, the fear of greenwashing accusations leads brands to choose abstract language over the clear and concrete. Weasel words and phrases like ‘groundbreaking,’ ‘a better future,’ and ‘committed to carbon-neutral operations’ do nothing but make you sound exactly like every other brand in your space.

Habit. And as the oft-quoted Marshall Goldsmith says, what got you here won’t get you there. Opposite thinking can help you to break out of what has become your status quo, start thinking bigger about what’s possible, and give you fresh angles to work with in your path to commercialization.

What is opposite thinking?

Opposite thinking is exactly as it sounds. It means looking at ‘best practices’ and ‘tried-and-true frameworks’ and, instead of merely accepting them as the correct thing to do, flipping them inside out to uncover a differentiated approach — one that has a chance of standing out in an increasingly saturated market.

B.J. Novak put it succinctly in a recent interview by framing this principle for creativity as a question: “What’s the obvious, hidden-in-plain-view opportunity?”

Here’s a fun one for you. Our friend River over at Yugen reviewed the websites of 20 leading DAC startups and found that 80% favored blue as their primary brand color.

How’s that for standing out?

Now, we’re not saying you should go red just because your competitors are going blue. But we are saying that staying within the confines of what’s ‘normal’ or expected in your category isn’t doing you any favors.

Opposite thinking isn’t an excuse to go all willy-nilly, defying the tried-and-true B2B marketing playbook at your whimsy. Much like grammar rules, you must first understand the whys behind best practices before you can break them in a way that positively gets attention.

What happens when you apply opposite thinking to climate tech marketing?

Another highlight from B.J.’s interview at CEX 2024 worth mentioning here was the 5% rule. This is a mini version of opposite thinking. The 5% rule, accredited to Greg Daniels (the executive producer, writer, and director of The Office), says that characters should be familiar 95% of the time, and surprise their audience the other 5%.

Applied to climate tech marketing, consistency and therefore familiarity is what builds brand awareness. But it’s the 5% devoted to opposite thinking, surprise, and delight that builds brand loyalty, captures new attention, and grows your audience.

Some opposite thinking ideas and exercises:

1. A successful outcome to opposite thinking can only come after acknowledging existing assumptions about how to solve or approach the problem at hand.?

The first steps are to define your “how might we” question and statement. For example, the question could be, “How might we encourage more homeowners to install solar panels?”?

Then you brainstorm assumptions.

• Homeowners are aware of the benefits of solar energy.
• Homeowners have the financial means to invest in solar technology.
• Homeowners are interested in long-term savings over immediate cost.

The next step is to make blanket statements about the opposite.

• Many homeowners are not aware of the benefits and assume solar panels are too complex to maintain.
• Homeowners might lack upfront capital or find the initial investment too high.
• Homeowners prioritize immediate cost savings and are less concerned with long-term benefits.

Finally, ideate based on your opposite statements.

• Maybe you launch an educational campaign that simplifies the technology behind solar panels and clearly outlines the environmental and economic benefits in an easily digestible format.
• Perhaps you develop partnerships with local governments and financial institutions to offer subsidized rates, rebates, or financing options like solar leasing or power purchase agreements (PPAs) that reduce upfront costs.
• Or you could create a marketing strategy that emphasizes immediate benefits, such as how solar energy can reduce monthly electricity bills right away, or even offer a sign-up bonus.

2. We recommend you frequently assess whether you’ve just been zigging along, when really you need to zag .

3. This can often just mean toning down your aspirational climate messaging, and instead getting darn specific about what it is that you actually do. The hidden-in-plain view opportunity for your brand might be getting specific about how you can help corporates do their job with more ease, rather than leaning into a spiel about ‘building for a better tomorrow.’

Takeaways

Opposite thinking is a structured approach to break away from default ‘best practices’ — which by definition, can no longer be best if everyone is using them.

Instead of sticking to what’s comfortable and safe, climate tech marketers would do well to focus less on what they’re “supposed to” be doing and more on fresh perspectives and forthright messaging that sets them apart and makes them noticeable.

You in?

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