• Brands can change buyers’ perceptions by turning disadvantages into advantages. 
• The strategy requires creativity, innovation, and ingenuity and can be a powerful marketing tool. 

The “Turn Disadvantage into Advantage” marketing strategy revolves around turning your weaknesses into opportunities for your business. In today’s world, most markets are in a perpetual state of monopolistic competition. This means that one large company or conglomerate controls most of the market and sets the pace, and other companies in the same industry have to follow a leader. 

This is a disadvantage when it comes to competition against these giants, mainly because the leader controls the source of supply, has a huge advertising budget, and often controls the major part of the distribution network. But this does not mean that other companies cannot compete; all they need to do is find a disadvantage and turn it into an advantage. 

The basic idea of this marketing strategy is to understand that every business faces challenges. Instead of dwelling on weaknesses, this strategy encourages you to identify them and reframe them as strengths. Find a unique way to use your disadvantage to benefit you and your customers. 

How did the “M&M’s Can’t Resist Getting Melted” campaign Turn a major disadvantage into an advantage?

M&M’s Can’t Resist Getting Melted campaign is believed to be a textbook example of turning a disadvantage into a significant marketing advantage. Here’s how the candy company successfully managed to do that. 

The Disadvantage at Hand & Strategy to Resolve it

M&Ms are chocolate candies with a candy shell; they’ve been a fan favorite for years. However, the chocolate core is prone to melting, especially in hot weather. Munching on candies should be a rewarding experience. Still, this melting issue was seen as a significant disadvantage for the brand, leading to messy hands, ruined candies, and frustrated consumers. 

Instead of shying away from this disadvantage, M&M’s strategically embraced it. Its “Can’t Resist Getting Melted” marketing strategy revolved around the idea that these candies are so delicious that people cannot resist eating them even if they are melting. This way, they turned the melting disadvantage into an advantage. 

How M&M’s Executed this Strategy? 

M&M’s executed this strategy by running humorous advertisements, generating social media engagement, and enhancing product packaging. They created funny commercials featuring their traditional colorful characters in situations where they melt due to heat. These ads played on the idea of the inevitable melty mess but intuitively and lightheartedly, making the situation relatable and desirable. 

The candy company also encourages fans to share photos and stories of their M&M’s melting moments. This social media engagement added a layer of user-generated content (UGC), which helped build a community around the successful marketing campaign. M&M also enhanced its packaging by launching special summer-themed packets with melting imagery, reinforcing the message that M&M’s melting is the fun part.  

The Sweet Result of the Marketing Campaign

M&M’s Can’t Resist Getting Melted marketing campaign was a resounding success. A deep dive into the strategy clears some facts. By addressing the melting issues head-on and not hiding them under the mattress, M&M’s showed they are self-aware and relatable. 

The humorous approach towards the melting issues through the advertisements directly turned the negative into a positive while highlighting the deliciousness of the candy. By including the interactive elements with social media, the brand encouraged consumer participation, which strengthens brand loyalty. 

After careful analysis of the campaign, it can be said that M&M’s “Can’t Resist Getting Melted” turned the brand’s potential weakness or disadvantage into a memorable and successful marketing strategy. This could be a guiding light for others, and sometimes, embracing the disadvantages could lead to creative and effective advertising.  

What is “Turning a Disadvantage into an Advantage” Marketing Strategy? 

In today’s competitive world, every business faces challenges, and some might feel that they have inherent disadvantages. But imagine a situation where you could flip the script and turn these weaknesses into strengths. Here’s a deep dive into how to identify disadvantages, reframe them, and leverage them for a winning marketing strategy. 

Identification of Your “Disadvantages”

Knowing your disadvantages requires careful and honest internal analysis. Brands must start looking inward and conduct in-depth research about the limitations of resources, budget, manpower, brand awareness, etc. Use these details to identify why you are failing to surpass the competition. 

The second step is to look at the market. Understand your market share, your target audience, your niche product, a higher price point compared to competitors, etc. This would provide you with sufficient information to analyze where you stand in the market, what your competitors are doing, and what your disadvantages are. 

Reframing the Disadvantages Disadvantage into Advantage

There’s no point in dwelling on weaknesses, as it would bear no fruit. Instead, Brands must focus on limitations and identify weaknesses and underlying value propositions. For instance, a small local bakery might see its limited reach as a disadvantage. Still, it can flip the script if it focuses on fresh, locally sourced ingredients and personalized customer service. Disadvantage into Advantage

After knowing the disadvantages, a brand must conduct detailed brainstorming sessions and a SWOT analysis to understand the credibility of this weakness and how it can be turned into an advantage. Brands can always turn their disadvantages into advantages if they work on them. 

Understanding Customer’s Perspectives Disadvantage into Advantage

To convert disadvantages into advantages, brands must first understand the customer’s perspective. They must conduct studies to understand their needs and pain points. Knowing your target audience’s challenges allows you to position your “disadvantage” as a solution. 

For instance, if a company deals in a complex product like a digital audio workstation (DAW), the steep learning curve could be a barrier. However, if the target audience struggles and needs help with similar product offerings, a detailed user guide, customer support, and easy-to-understand tutorials could be great selling points. 

How do you turn Disadvantages into Advantages? 

To successfully incorporate this marketing strategy, brands must highlight their uniqueness. For instance, if you have a niche product, emphasize its ability to cater to customers’ specific needs and wants, which are not met by mainstream options. Even if your product is priced higher, its price can be justified by superior quality, durability, and exclusive features—similar to how Apple justifies its higher price point. 

Even as a small business, you can leverage the scenario by using nimbleness to offer more customization and faster turnaround times. Smaller companies can do it better compared to larger firms. For instance, a local coffee shop could offer more options than a considerable chain. 

Choosing the Right Marketing Message and Marketing Channel

Remember, transparency is always the key; brands must always acknowledge and embrace their disadvantages. By skillfully using positive and confident language and focusing on how you are transferring these benefits to the customer, brands can have a positive spin. 

Like Dove’s The Real Beauty Campaign, brands can weave a narrative about how your disadvantages can become your advantage. Dove tried to showcase natural beauty through the Real Beauty Campaign, but not the perceived standard. It allowed the brand to showcase ingenuity and customer focus, making it a successful marketing campaign. 

Brands must not waste resources on generic advertising but focus on utilizing targeted channels to reach the ideal customers. This could take the message to the people who would value your unique value proposition. Showcasing customer testimonials and positive reviews highlighting the benefits would be social proof that your disadvantage is now an advantage. 

Pros and Cons of “Turn a Disadvantage into an Advantage” Marketing Strategy

Similar to any other marketing strategy, this “Turn a disadvantage into an advantage” marketing strategy comes with its pros and cons, as discussed below. 

Pros Disadvantage into Advantage

By reframing the disadvantages, brands can showcase their unique selling proposition (USP). It would help you set yourself apart from the competition. The main challenge of overcoming a disadvantage can be skillfully woven into a compelling brand story, plus it can foster customer connection. This brand story can be beneficial in the long run. 

By successfully turning disadvantages into advantages, brands can showcase their innovation and customer focus, which would boost brand awareness and perceived value. Brands can also focus on their unique selling proposition, which could help create a targeted marketing campaign resonating with the ideal customer. This can also help carve out a niche in the crowded market, attracting customers who value your brand approach. 

Cons Disadvantage into Advantage

Turning disadvantage into advantage requires creativity and a deeper understanding of the target market. Executing the strategy is also considerable difficulty. If not handled carefully, highlighting weaknesses can backfire and raise doubts about the product or service. 

It must be understood that not all disadvantages can be turned into advantages. For instance, a poor brand reputation or a flawed product might have difficulty turning the script through marketing alone. Also, developing a strong marketing message and a compelling brand story takes time and effort. It’s also possible that reframed disadvantages could only resonate with a specific niche, potentially limiting the customer base. 

In the end, “Turn Disadvantage into Advantage” can be a game changer in more ways than one. But it would require in-depth research, creativity, and an understanding of the target market. If used wisely, it can turn weaknesses into powerful marketing tools.