Truth. Growth. Repeat.

Chapter 18 your final task: the after ad

Remember the Before Ad you wrote at the start of this whole process?

This final exercise is the counterpoint to that. What I want you to do is write a new ad for your business, now that you have clearly expressed your True Purpose. Together we’ll see what the differences are between that ad and the first one you wrote.

Here’s what you do:

• Write a new ad for your business.
• This time, start with what you believe is wrong with your industry and/or the world. Or what could be so much better, if not for your idea.
• Then describe what’s in it for your customer. What do they get out of that ideal themselves, for real, for their money?
• Then finish by completing this sentence: ‘And if we both do that, then society gets a little better because …’

Once you’ve done that, get your original ad and compare them. Ask yourself these questions:

• Which one feels more human?
• If I was a customer reading these ads, which company would I feel is being more honest with me?
• Which company feels more unique — that is, which ad seems different from all those other ads I’ve read for companies in that industry?
• Which company seems more likely to innovate?
• If I was a talented employee in that field, which company would I prefer to work for?
• Which company appeals more to the new generation of smart investor, who knows the power of a competitive advantage in commerce and can see that in a world of product parity any brand with a unique point of view is going to earn ...