Let’s be honest: most marketing advice is written for brands with glossy products and built-in fanbases. It’s easy to make noise when you’re Apple, or you’ve just launched the next cult DTC brand.

But what if your product is…normal? Ordinary? Maybe even a bit dull?

The truth is, there’s no such thing as a boring business, only marketing that fails to make people care. When you reframe how you talk about your work, you can turn the most everyday offer into something worth noticing.

Let’s break down how to do it.

1. Dig for the detail you’ve been ignoring

A lot of businesses skip over the parts that would actually make customers pay attention. They hide the human moments, the quirks in their process, or the story of how it all started. Often, what seems too small, niche, or “not relevant” to you is exactly what others will find interesting or relatable.

What to try: Revisit your origin story, customer wins, or behind-the-scenes moments. Think about the aspects that make your process different, or moments that show the human side of your business.

2. Make the customer the lead character

Your product isn’t the hero, your customer is. Marketing that centers the experience, emotions, and journey of the people you serve will always resonate more than product-centric messaging. When customers can see themselves reflected in your stories, your marketing becomes personal, relatable, and memorable.

What to try: Gather customer journeys and show the before-and-after, whether that’s through short videos, interviews, or case studies with real human context.

3. Do the unexpected in a category that isn’t

If your market plays it safe, doing something unexpected can be all it takes to stand out. Breaking the norms of your industry through tone, visuals, or campaign structure can make even ordinary services or products feel fresh and attention-grabbing.

What to try: Break from your category’s usual tone or format for one campaign. Let contrast do the work and make people pause.

4. Be upfront about what you do

Pretending to be something you’re not is tiring and obvious. If your industry has a reputation for being dull, acknowledge it, and reframe it in a way that works for you. Honesty builds credibility, and leaning into what you actually do can make your messaging more compelling than any over-the-top hype.

What to try: Write down what people actually think about your sector, then decide whether to lean in with honesty, flip it on its head, or highlight the value that’s often overlooked.

5. Make it easy for customers to share you

The most powerful marketing is the kind customers do for you. If your audience can easily share their experience, recommend your product, or show their involvement, you amplify your reach without extra spend. Sharing becomes part of the experience itself.

What to try: Build small, shareable actions into the way people buy or use your product, and create moments that are naturally social.

6. Narrow your focus

You don’t need everyone to notice you, just the right people. Marketing that tries to appeal to everyone usually appeals to no one. By identifying where your real customers spend time and what they care about, you can show up consistently with content that actually matters to them.

What to try: Focus your messaging and presence on the channels and communities where your ideal audience already spends time, rather than casting a wide net.

Who can we take inspo from? 

Here’s a few standout examples of brands doing exactly this…

Hiscox: Standing Out in a Bland Category

Business insurance isn’t known for creativity, but Hiscox speaks to business owners like real humans, not corporate robots. Their OOH activations are well known for stopping people in their tracks - they’re funny, instantly understandable, and relatable. They’ve shown that even in the dullest category, humour, honesty, and personality can make your marketing memorable.

Semrush: B2B Marketing with Personality

Semrush knows how to make the mundane memorable. Their social face, Chris, consistently turns marketing frustrations into humour, creating TikToks that have gone viral with millions of views. By poking fun at the marketing industry in a way that feels totally relatable, they’ve made personality their secret weapon, proving B2B can be engaging, entertaining and effective.

Pinks Windows: Turning Ordinary into Memorable

Window cleaning might not scream excitement, but Pinks Windows is rewriting the rulebook. Retro handyman aesthetics, nostalgic energy and consistent visuals make every post feel intentional. They’ve taken a sector that usually feels forgettable and made every piece of content on-brand, and they’re even selling merch. A window-cleaning brand selling merch? That’s the kind of bold creativity that turns heads.

If you’re looking to define or refine your brand purpose and identity like these standout brands, our Brand Audit Guide is a step-by-step resource to help you pinpoint what makes your brand unique, so your marketing hits harder and resonates longer.

Why this works

None of these ideas require a huge budget or headline-grabbing innovation. They work because they:

  • Reframe what you do in a way that matters to the audience
  • Make the audience the star of the story
  • Keep the message consistent so it sticks

You don’t have to be the loudest or most spectacular brand. You just have to be the one that feels relevant and human to the people who matter.

Ready to take action? 

If you want to see how these principles could work for your business, check out our brochure. It shows how we could help equip your marketing team with the skills, confidence and creativity to produce campaigns that cut through the noise and actually deliver results.