The Secret to Winning Brand Battles

Competing against established household brands like Kleenex or Q-Tip, which have become generic terms, seems daunting. Trying to overtake a generic is nearly impossible because they were first. However, winning the battle is not about direct competition—it's about strategy.

You compete with generics by creating a new category and narrowing your focus. FedEx, for instance, dominated a niche within the courier industry by pioneering overnight delivery. Rather than mimicking the #1 brand, innovate differently. Uniqueness consistently triumphs over following trends.

To build a powerful brand, look for opportunities to specialize and create subsets within existing categories. Exploit these divergences to establish a category that your brand can uniquely own. Recognize that categories naturally diverge over time, and act decisively when the moment is right.

Once you establish leadership in your new category, expect competitors to emerge, and some customers to explore alternatives. Instead of focusing on winning back defectors, concentrate on expanding the market. This strategy maintains brand authenticity and ensures your brand stands for something unique in customers' minds.

If you're a smaller player, win the line-extension battle by fostering divergence within your new category. Create distance between your innovation and the established norm, effectively differentiating your brand.

In the end, true competition means competing to innovate and lead, not just to mimic. By defining and owning a new category, your brand can outsell older brands that stretch to fit new trends.

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By Howard A Lim at HOWCreative.com

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