Duckbilled Platypus vs. BeefSnakStik
Posted by katya on Thu, January 17, 2008
Last night my older daughter read me this excellent and hilarious story from the fabulous Squids Will Be Squids : Fresh Morals/Beastly Tales by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith. It’s about the best (nonprofit) marketing metaphor I’ve heard in years. I suppose I should be disturbed that I find marketing meaning even in bedtime stories, but instead I’m going to tell you about the story.
Duckbilled Platypus vs. BeefSnakStik(R)
“I have a bill like a duck and a tail like a beaver,” bragged Duckbilled Platypus.
“So what?” said BeefSnakStik. “I have beef, soy protein concentrate, and dextrose.”
“I also have webbed feet and fur,” said Duckbilled Platypus.
“Who cares?” said BeefSnakStik. “I also have smoke flavoring, sodium erythorbate, and sodium nitrite.”
“I am one of only two mammals in the world that lays eggs,” said Duckbilled Platypus.
“Big deal,” said BeefSnakStik. “I have beef lips.”
Moral: Just because you have a lot of stuff, don’t think you’re special.
Exactly. If you’re bragging about all the nuances of your work as an outreach strategy, you’re probably sounding about as relevant (and convincing) to your audience as Duckbilled Platypus and BeefSnakStik.
(3) 
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