ROCKS DIGITAL  BLOG

Harley David Rubin

Everyone Loves an Underdog – From the Big Game to Business Marketing Success

Everyone Loves an Underdog - From the Big Game to Business Marketing Success
Artur Szczybylo/Shutterstock.com

Before we talk business marketing success, let me get personal for a minute. I celebrated my birthday in January. But that was nothing compared to February, when I finally got to see my hometown football team win their first Big Game. (Don’t come at me, football trademark police.)

My team – whose name rhymes with the Schmilladelphia Schmeagles – was the very epitome of the word underdogs. Having never won the Big Game, our last championship was back in 1960, before they even called it by its current name!

Sports Offers a Lesson for Business Marketing Success

Although they got off to a great start this season, my team lost some major players to injury, including the quarterback. So with a backup QB at the helm, they weren’t expected to last in the playoffs at all.

But throughout the playoffs, the underdogs prevailed. They beat Atlanta. Nobody expected them to win against Minnesota but they did – and made it to the Schmooper Bowl. The dreaded FIVE-TIME CHAMPION Patriots awaited them… but in the biggest game of them all, my team squeezed out the biggest win in team history.

Why Do We Love the Underdog?

OK, this isn’t a sports column. But we do need to look at the underdog phenomenon to understand how this characteristic can be used successfully in marketing. And to do that, let’s consider John G. Avildsen for a moment.

Movie director John Avildsen was known as King of the Underdogs because he helmed two of the biggest David vs. Goliath-type movies of all time: Rocky and The Karate Kid.

Yep, Philly again. The city embraced Rocky so much that you might think he really existed – a statue of the “Italian Stallion” even graced the Art Museum steps for many years.

So what is it about the underdog that we love in pop culture? My theory: Its strong connection to the idea of the American Dream – and how we can all overcome situations and obstacles to achieve success.

Three “Underdog” Traits to Achieve Business Marketing Success

Taking a look at the most fundamental traits of the underdog, we can see how marketers can use these characteristics to position themselves to their target audiences as the emotional choice. Let’s call these common threads Humble Beginnings, the Uphill Battle, and Hard Work.

Humble Beginnings

I have a great respect for entrepreneurs – especially those who start from nothing. Maybe it’s the old “idea jotted on a napkin” story, with someone starting their company at the kitchen table on a shoestring budget. Today’s startup culture is the best example of the entrepreneurial spirit in action today, often found at co-working spaces and your local coffee shops.

We all like to think of ourselves as the hero of our life story, overcoming obstacles to save the day. So if you choose the entrepreneurial life, it’s very likely you see yourself as the underdog.

And when you recognize this trait in others, you tend to want to support their business with your patronage. Because you understand, empathize with, and respect their journey, you’re happy to give them your money.

The Uphill Battle

You’re the little guy, the David trying to defeat Goliath, the protagonist in the rags-to-riches story. You’ve got less money and resources, zero reputation, and no customer base.

Yep, it’s an uphill battle for sure. But against all odds and through sheer determination, Rocky survived his first match with the champ.

So you can fight your own battle – find some money or resources, satisfy those customers and get their testimonials, and you’ll be on that heroic journey to success.

Up against big national competition? Play up the “shop local” angle.
And remember, every company can be equal on the web. The internet can be an entrepreneur’s best friend, since you can start and promote your company online with little or no budget.

Hard Work

If you Google the term “hard work” you get about 230 million results in less than half a second. (That’s about 224 million more than the typical Google search.)

Customers want to know you’re working hard to win and keep their business; they respect commitment and often reward it with their money.

One of the all-time classic ad campaigns was built on rental car company Avis’ “We try harder” campaign. Created in 1962, that tagline lasted about half a century. Why? Because knowing that Avis would do more to satisfy their needs and go the extra mile resonated with consumers.

Sometimes you don’t have to be #1 or the top dog. In fact, sometimes that can be a bad thing!

Rooting for the Underdog Can Lead to Business Marketing Success

In the 19th century, author Horatio Alger gained fame for his novels about poor young boys and how their hard work helped them succeed and reach middle-class comfort and status. (I know this because we share a birthday and I looked him up.)

And this idea about hard work and success still looms large in American culture today. Bill Gates coding in his garage. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in those early, long-haired days at Apple.

Think about your own role as a consumer. More than likely, you have supported numerous “underdog” companies in their early days. And think of the consumers out there who are waiting to support you!

Call me an optimist, but I think underdogs are universally popular because we (the consumers) see the best of ourselves in them. And that’s definitely worth giving them a chance to earn our business – even if the Vegas odds are against them every week.

How have you supported an underdog? Feel free to post in the comments. And please share this blog with your social networks if you found it interesting!

Harley David Rubin

Harley David Rubin is a freelance copywriter, content creator and marketing strategist who has worked for both advertising agencies and corporate marketing departments for more than 20 years. He loves his family, pop culture, fantasy baseball and creativity in all its forms.

More Posts

Download Our SEO Guide

Created in a joint partnership with Advice Local, this guide — What You Need to Know About SEO — provides an introduction to SEO concepts, strategies and best practices for optimizing a website. Complete the form below and get instant access.

    ROCKING DIGITAL SERVICES

    Web Design & Development

    Your website needs to be aesthetically pleasing and functional. We build websites for desktop and mobile that are both.

    LOCAL SEARCH & SEO

    Your website needs to attract search engines and consumers. We are experts in local search and SEO, and can make that happen.

    CONTENT CREATION & MARKETING

    Anybody can write words on a page, but can they write content that integrates SEO best practices and converts? We can.

    PPC & Paid Search

    PPC & Paid Search

    Need more customers? We create paid campaigns to reach your target audience and increase sales.

    Tracking & Optimization

    You need a solid foundation for success online, and our tracking & optimization services get it done.

    Graphic Design Services

    Graphic Design Services

    From logo design to your business card, brochures – and everything in-between for print & web – we can help!

    Here’s What Our Client's Have to Say

    Their Local Business Websites Rock

    ★★★★★
    Rocks Digital knows how to build local business websites that convert prospects to customers. Not only do I recommend them to work on my reputation management client’s websites, but they work on the Reputation Sensei brand, too.
    - Chris Snellgrove

    They Customize Their Solutions

    ★★★★★
    Rocks Digital customizes to meet their client’s needs. We needed our existing website optimized for search. We are now placing for more industry keywords and continue to improve. They consult with our in-house team on content optimization, manage our GMB listing & more.
    - Greta Valenti

    Highly Recommend

    ★★★★★
    Rocks Digital manages not only the Association of Directory Publishers website, but our Trusted Local Directory. From helping us get our event information on the website to producing guides, blogs and new content, they have what it takes.
    - Cindi Aldrich

    Rocks Digital Is the Best Choice

    ★★★★★
    As a long-term client, when it was time to change the primary focus of my real estate business, and my website, I knew Rocks Digital was the way to go. They took my existing website, gave it a complete new look, and still managed to keep my existing content.
    - David Dorum

    Brought My Ideas to Fruition

    ★★★★★
    Rocks Digital came highly recommended. Once I started working with them I knew why. They took my ideas for a beautiful website and brought them to the screen. From the design phase to content creation, each component was thoughtfully considered and addressed.
    - Clay Adams

    Conversions Are on the Rise

    ★★★★★
    Rocks Digital manages two of my websites. They produce our blogs, our service pages and manage our paid search campaigns. Conversions are up and new patients are coming in the door. I highly recommend their digital marketing services.
    - Dr. Thomas Chacko

    Agency Services Are Top Notch

    ★★★★★
    We shifted to Rocks Digital agency services earlier in the year. We are so glad we did. Our website sessions are up, page views are up, and bounce rate is down. Now we can easily see how many form fills we have had at any given time through their real-time reporting.
    - Kristin Schafer

    Their Local Business Websites Rock

    ★★★★★
    Rocks Digital knows how to build local business websites that convert prospects to customers. Not only do I recommend them to work on my reputation management client’s websites, but they work on the Reputation Sensei brand, too.
    - Chris Snellgrove

    They Customize Their Solutions

    ★★★★★
    Rocks Digital customizes to meet their client’s needs. We needed our existing website optimized for search. We are now placing for more industry keywords and continue to improve. They consult with our in-house team on content optimization, manage our GMB listing & more.
    - Greta Valenti

    Highly Recommend

    ★★★★★
    Rocks Digital manages not only the Association of Directory Publishers website, but our Trusted Local Directory. From helping us get our event information on the website to producing guides, blogs and new content, they have what it takes.
    - Cindi Aldrich
    Name
    Email
    Review Title
    Rating
    Review Content

    LATEST BLOG POSTS

    Hire a digital marketing agency.

    Why Hire a Digital Marketing Agency

    Staying ahead of search engine updates and marketing trends is a constant challenge, so it’s no surprise that businesses frequently turn to digital marketing agencies.

    Content writing services.

    How to Select a Content Writing Service

    From increasing local search presence to attracting new customers, businesses need quality content to thrive online. The leading content writing services consistently make life easier

    LOCAL VISIBILITY REPORT

    Is your Google My Business listing helping or hurting you? Is bad data causing consumers and search engines to lose trust in your business? This is information you simply must know.

    To get these answers right now, just enter your business name below to run our FREE
    visibility report.


    Need a facelift
    for your website? More search traffic? Need to blog, but don’t have time?

    Our Digital Services Could Be For You
    Get a Free Local Visibility Report Now