The Myth of White Space

'Brands have to stand out in an obvious crowd—not stand alone in an unusual spot that no one cares about.'

- Jonathan Cude

Even if you’ve only been working in advertising for a week, you’ve probably heard, or maybe even said, “What we need to do is find the white space.”

Yes, of course, the white space. The space no one else owns, that’s just sitting there, like a pristine, snow covered field in the upper right-hand quadrant of an X–Y axis, waiting to be tapped for its unfulfilled potential!

The problem is, there is no such thing as white space. Because there’sno white space when we’re talking about human beings and the reasons they want certain things.

Remember Maslow’s hierarchy of needs? Essentials like breathing, food, water, sex and sleep made up the base of the pyramid, with things like security, health, friendship and family in the middle, followed by self-esteem, confidence, morality, creativity and spontaneity at the top.

But whether the reference is Maslow or something like the more recent Elements of Value Pyramid, there are only a certain number of things people really want (or need) from life—let alone from a brand. The strongest brands get this. That’s why they connect what they do with fulfilling at least one of those needs. It’s pretty tough to satisfy a desire no one has. But a lot of money’s been spent trying.