How to escape the competitive herd?

It’s an intriguing question, you have to admit. In a time where –so it seems- every brand digs itself into an ever increasing amount of ‘hyper segments’ (aren’t we all waiting for a toothpaste that whiten our teeth while tasting like chocolate?), how does one differentiates itself?

The classical tools for brand augmentation –by addition and by multiplication- are not effective if every competitor follows the same strategy. Furthermore, competitive strategies tend to level out the players in it. If every brand is focusing on improving the metrics where it scores badly compared to competitors, what really happens is that every brand will start to look the same –like ‘average’:

So how can one differentiate itself from the competitive herd?

Youngme Moon provides some examples of companies who do, and even provides a classification for them –although she goes in great length in explaining that this classification is neither waterproof nor complete. It’s not a magic lotion neither. But it provides some good sense of ‘direction’:

• Reverse branding –those that ignore augmentation and get to the core of the added value of the product or service (take Google with its white, almost empty homepage, created in the midst of a fight among portal sites to get as much things as possible on their homepage);
• Breakaway branding –those that redefine the category they’re in, linking it to other categories if needed (take Swatch as an example, a ‘disposable’ watch where watches were supposed to be a high standing products; or –funnier- The Simpsons, redefining both the kids’ cartoon and the adult soap show;
• Hostile branding – those that willfully go against any preconceived conception of business soundness, like believing the customer is king (Apple, Bathing Ape, Birkenstock) or that everybody wants bigger and better things (Mini Cooper’s introduction in the US market, with their slogan: ‘XXL XL L M S MINI’). 

It’s not waterproof indeed, but it provides plenty of food for thought and a common vocabulary to understand how some brands succeed in escaping the competitive herd.

Both for its intimate style and witty insights, it’s the best business book I’ve read so far this year.



"Different" by Youngme Moon from Youngme Moon on Vimeo.




Check out my previous book reviews:

• "The shift" Lynda Gratton
• "The future of work" Thomas Malone
• "Making globalization work" Joseph Stiglitz
• "2030 -Technologies that will change the world" Van Santen, Khoe, Vermeer
• "What Technology wants" David Kelly
• "Crowdsourcing" Jeff Howe
• "The next big thing" William Higham
• "Future Files" Richard Watson
• "Future savvy" Adam Gordon
• "Futurewise" Patrick Dixon
• "Ecological intelligence" Daniel Goleman