Make Your Brand Noticeable and Differentiated From Your Competition

Ryan Barton

Los Angeles, CA, USA
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A marketing executive on one of those fancy Fast Company‘s lists called Ryan a “silent killer that delivers thinking that’s so smart and thoughtful, it elevates.” The man behind one of TV’s fastest-growing networks said Ryan is “changing the game.” A member of the Marketing Hall of Fame wrote “if you want something to shake your thinking right NOW about marketing, Ryan has more GREAT ideas than just about anything I’ve read.” And a 3x best-selling marketing author was “amazed at just how useful Ryan’s advice might be for experienced marketing pros and small business owners alike.” That’s me. Hey, I’m Ryan. I’ve lived in Los Angeles nearly my entire life. Fresh air, snobby coffee, smooth whisky, and sunset gradients inspire me. I can be just a tad sarcastic. I create Spotify playlists for nearly every occasion (cooking, entertaining guests, pool time, rainy days, being happy, and building this site). I’ve written three marketing books (all more than a decade ago but still, sometimes, somehow, relevant) and three kids call me dad. But, here’s what you don’t know… Over the last twenty years, brands have trusted me to design and launch their marketing campaigns around the world — in the United States, Asia, Latin America, Australia, and the UK. I cherish the global perspective I gained from traveling and the local food I still crave. At one of my first agency jobs, I taped a piece of paper to the outside of my office door that read, “Always Make It Better.” A constant reminder to buck the norm. To create something unexpected, unique, and special. To do work that impresses relentlessly. That’s why you’ll hear me talk about differentiation over and over again. And then, again. And it’s why I work my ass off. I’m a visual learner, so a few years later I hung a piece in my office that read “I work extremely hard doing what I love, so I don’t have to work extremely hard doing what I hate.” That sums it up nicely I think. And another print traveled from one job to another, and then to my plywood-office-built-in-my-garage-during-quarantine — “If you talked to people the way advertising talked to people, they’d punch you in the face.” It’s an effective reminder that our audience isn’t just a demographic or stereotype, but a real person with real preferences and even more real challenges. So, I write like I talk (not like a thesaurus), and think with empathy first. Working on the client side, I built a strong, diverse team of marketers, each hailing from a different country — China, Brazil, Nigeria, El Salvador. Today, I still look for ways to elevate diverse perspectives, to discover problems from different angles, to think critically, and foster inclusion. In the end, I do it all because one of my greatest joys is seeing a smirk grow across a client’s face. To see them exhale because we just articulated something they’ve struggled for months to describe themselves. Or to see them sit up straight, shift their shoulders back and get restless because we’ve asked a question that will unlock a new energy into their brand. They’re excited to get started. Excited to do more. Me too.