“Too Advanced” and “Disappointed.” These are two 1-Star (★☆☆☆☆ ) reviews that were part of a genius marketing campaign by Snowbird. The Utah resort knows that they are not for every skier and snowboarder. The trails at the mountain are difficult. Some may see that as a flaw or weakness, but it’s a badge they wear with pride.

In a brilliant move of Flaunting (the cornerstone of the seven FLAWSOM types from Pink Goldfish), they decided not to shy away from bad reviews. Instead of telling you about the difficulty of the terrain, they allowed the 1-star reviews to do the talking:

★☆☆☆☆ NO EASY RUNS
“We felt like our lives were in our own hands.”
– Jeremiah, Manchester NH

★☆☆☆☆ DISAPPOINTED
“Are the people who operate the grooming equipment on strike or something? Was hoping for a little more corduroy to my skis into.”
-Elizabeth, Dallas TX

★☆☆☆☆ TOO ADVANCED
“I heard Snowbird is a tough mountain, but this is ridiculous. It felt like every trail was a steep chute or littered with tree wells. How is anyone supposed to ride that? Not fun!”
– Greg, Los Angeles, CA

TAKEAWAY: In the words of Gerald Weinberg, “If you can’t fix it, feature it.” Take pride in your unique characteristics. Emphasize them, expose them, and openly display them.

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Stan Phelps walks the walk. He stands out in the sea of sameness by modeling his own Differentiated Experience (DX) message: Differentiation isn’t just about what you say, it’s about what you do and, more importantly, how and why you do it. Stan leverages his unique collection of 5,000+ case studies on customer, employee, and brand experience to engage audiences with informative learning-based experiences. He believes purposeful DX wins the hearts of employees and customers, and differentiation ultimately boosts loyalty, retention, referrals, and results.

Find Stan’s in-person and virtual keynotes, workshops, and Goldfish tank programs at StanPhelps.com.