8:12am
Saint Paul
Degas caused a public uproar when he showed his “Jockeys Before the Race” (completed in 1879—back when art was important).
He was known for his impressionist paintings of ballerinas and jockeys on horses.
But this painting wasn’t so much a horse as it was… a pole. With a horse behind it.
It was considered “ugly.”
And the public couldn’t understand why Edgar Degas would break all the rules.
But jazz musicians know.
Marketers know.
Copywriter Eugene Schwartz said,
“The ugly thing, in a world of beauty, stands out.”
The reverse is also true:
In a world of ugly, the beauty stands out.
What is common in your market? And how can you do it differently?
What rules can you break?
Some ideas for you:
📸 Color photos vs black and white photos (or red and white, or blue and white…)
🎨 Branded graphic emails vs plain-text emails
<> Hyperlinked text vs plain ugly URLs
👾 Perfect quality vs fun imperfections
🎥 High production, quick-cut video vs slow, authentic conversation
Not everything will work. But you don’t know until you test. And it’ll help you find a way forward.