When to Publicly Attack Competitors

I once caught a competitor with their pants down.

Not in the "oops… I pissed on the rim of the toilet” kind of way.
More like catching them in the middle of an explosive diarrhea over the sink kinda way.

TLDR; they were lying to their users. About something big. 

Marketing 101 teaches you to never bash competitors.
Time to teach marketing 102.

Yes, there are instances where competitor bashing is acceptable.

1. Attack only when you’re in a position of power

2. Don’t be a hypocrite

3. Never spread lies

Maybe you’re a good ol’ boy. You might feel bad for doing this. If so, let me ask you this:

Let’s say you saw a deranged man in his 30s walking down Main Street with a shotgun in his hand and a ski mask. It’d be senseless to say, “I don’t want to offend him by going to the police” or “I may ruin my credibility by exposing him.”

Why do we do this with competitors?

If you catch them doing something dirty. Or stupid. Or potentially harmful. Do the right thing before someone gets hurt.

Take a look at this post.
I bashed Nooks for overhiring GTM roles… because in 19/20 cases, this does in fact backfire.

Why did I post this? Buckle up.

1. I was working on a deal with a competitor. Nooks and I have a rough history. They would never hire me. But a competitor? Absolutely. Closed-won 1 week later.

2. Some poor sap will apply for this job only to be laid off within a year. I may be wrong, but that’s typically how these things go.

If you attack your competitors properly, it hurts them, helps you, and saves the audience.

Making you the hero.

With love,
James Hanzimanolis