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Brand Strategy
Brand Strategy is Only for the Big Guns? Think Again.
"Brand Strategy is just a shiny object for the big guns setting their budget on fire for some sort of ego boost."
Of course they wanted you to think about it this way.
Who are they?
The big players dominating the market.
Why?
Because this is probably your closest shot as an up-and-comer.
Picture This in Your Head
You are in a pitch competition. Backstage, listening to all the questions the investors are throwing at the guy before you - a geeky looking guy with glasses on and everything, probably named Sam.
"Why would this work? Why not something else?”
“Who is gonna need it? I mean, why do people even need it?”
“What’s the market like? How much money we are talking about?”
“How far with this grow?”
"We've had a bunch of other people pitching us the same idea just now. Why should I invest in your company?”
Tough crowd. But he nailed it. Then it comes a killer.
"What if the big guns decide to get involved in this? It sounds like all you are lacking is money. They have all the money to outdo you overnight.”
In your mind you’d like “This is it. This is definitely gonna get him!”
"They won't. It takes them too long to respond, and it is too small for them to care in the first place. By the time they start to care, this will be out of their hands, unless they decide to buy us for whatever we ask for. And this is exactly where we all want to be, right?”
This is one scenario where a brand strategy will be of immense help. In a real-life context, it can be even more than that.
If a business is the brain that controls how everything runs, a brand strategy is the soul. It embodies the intrinsic, charismatic, and emotive qualities of your business that make you relevant, interesting, and valuable to people, and most importantly, stand the test of time.
Your Best Shot to Offset Market Dominance
For any up-and-coming business, curating a well-positioned brand is crucial to compete with the big players. In fact, it's probably the only and most effective way to cut through the clutter.
Big players probably outdo you in every aspect: a sophisticated marketing process, a lively digital presence, established relationships with the media, a comprehensive product portfolio, and of course, a much thicker wallet to play with. It is, what Marty Neumeier would refer to as, a “paper” company. It survives by using its network and resources to smother smaller companies.
As a small company with nothing in common with a “paper” company, just be different - you need to be a sharp "scissor". You compete by cutting out a small area of business opportunity from the market dominated by much larger "paper" companies. They are typically too busy to notice or care about a relatively small market, or sometimes they are just too clunky and slow to respond.
It takes quite a bit of courage to stick your neck out and be different from everyone else. But you probably see where it goes. You just can’t operate the way everyone else does. Be different, with meaning and logic though.
Do You Get Paid More for Being Small?
Blue Bottle Coffee does.
As one of our favorite brands (yes, we love coffee, a lot), it has one notable success story to tell.
Despite the long-standing dominance of Starbucks in the coffee industry for decades, Blue Bottle has found the magic wand to break the pattern and own a distinctive niche in the multi-billion dollar market.
Blue Bottle differentiated itself successfully from any other coffee chain by focusing on quality and craftsmanship, as well as creating a unique in-store experience for customers. Starbucks is, without a doubt, the big player we were referring to. It has every advantage to cast the widest net on the market, but it missed Blue Bottle. And here’s how Blue Bottle offset it:
Noticed the layers of difference they have, even though they are essentially selling the same product. Blue Bottle has successfully engaged an entirely different type of customer who is happily paying more for a cup of craftsmanship in their hands, surrounded by a unique in-store experience.
All of this reinforces the customers’ identity. It simply says something about them when they have a cup of coffee in their hands with that little blue mark - they are different, probably in a more aesthetic and elite way.
This blue mark clearly differentiated itself from other coffee chains, making the brand a symbol that is meaningful for a relatively small group of many, but also a leader in a moment - the third-wave coffee - accelerating its success on a global scale.
Be a Popular Troublemaker.
A troublemaker to many others, but a favorite to the ones you wish to serve. More often than not, you simply can't please everyone and capture every single opportunity out there. However, the right group and amount will keep the wheel spinning just fine. And the big guns are scratching their brains thinking really hard about what to do.
For those who have a purpose bigger than themselves and want to deliver the impacts, learn What’s a Brand Strategy and How to Craft Your Own Brand Strategy. Alternatively, let's have a chat about what you have in mind.
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