Against the worst Government ever, we're only 6% ahead in the polls. Discuss

If you're a company entering a new market, and you're up against a long established (but perhaps rather tired) market leader, how do you advertise your 'challenger' product?

Do you a) copy the successful marketing strategies of the leader, but with fewer resources and no reputation?

Or do you b) come up with something so radically different that punters can suddenly see a reason for buying your product, rather than the one they've always bought in the past?

Put like that, of course, the answer is obvious. But you'd be amazed at how many companies opt time and time again for Option a). Only to be sorely disappointed by the results.

You can't blame them. If it worked for the market leader, the thinking goes, then it's good enough for us.

After all, no-one ever got fired for copying someone else's successful marketing strategy.

But - and let me stress this one more time, for the benefit of Messrs Hilton, Coulson, Letwin and Osbourne - it never, ever, ever works.

C.A.M.

UPDATE: 2% ahead in the polls now. This is getting terrifying