Must you increase volume to be heard by your customers?

Frequently brands have it that the loudest gets the most attention, which could be true in Vegas, Lagos, or Delhi, but that isn’t where we all live.

If the definition of a brand is the unique total of experiences as taken away by each of us, it is equally important to identify with your customers at an individual level.

It’s normal to obsess about growth and additions and forget that there’s also beauty in subtraction or subtractive innovation, which is the art of removing that which is unnecessary. This game is what today’s disruptive brands play.

What do brands like Airbnb, Uber, NetFlix, and Citizen M have in common? They are in the business of removing what’s not necessary - simplifying complexity and strengthening the core. 

Airbnb realized that all you needed was a roof over your head and eliminated the 3, 4, and 5-star complexities. 

Uber realized that all you needed to do was get from point A to B without waiting for a specifically marked cab.

My all-time favorite is NetFlix, whose innovation was from hearing that I visited the video library countless times only to find out that the particular movies I was looking for had just been borrowed by someone else a few minutes ago and that I could alternatively take another one. And I incurred a fine for delaying to return the borrowed movie.

In today’s noisy world, your brand can also benefit from being subtle and focusing on what is uniquely vital to the customer. I often ask myself five questions:

1. What problem is your customer trying to solve?
2. What is the minimum I can do for the customer to recognize me? 
3. What are the circumstances under which the customer will experience my brand?
4. Where will this interaction happen?
5. What cultural cues do I need to be on the lookout for?

What other brands can you think of that have taken the subtle approach to strongly differentiate themselves?