“Product differentiation is going away. Act accordingly.”

This is a quote from tech entrepreneur David Cancel. At the heart of David’s insight is that it has never been easier to start a new company. The critical elements: Data, storage, processing power, talent, capital, etc… are all more accessible, affordable, and scalable than ever before.

This global appetite and opportunity for new tech solutions to archaic legacy practices and models means that your new disruptive idea will have competition and ultimately pricing pressures, ie commoditization. 

When product competition pressures hit, most companies double down on product and sales teams, which leads to product feature creep, sales teams selling harder and harder on features and benefits, leadership in search of some secret sauce that will help them differentiate and break through, and marketing spun out trying to keep up with the sales team’s request.

Without a strategic understanding and ability to establish a larger meaning for the company–both as a north star to the entire team and to the market at large–you’ll put your teams on the hamster wheel from hell, chasing trends, competitor moves, and investor whims.

Fun.

So, then, what does “...act accordingly” mean? 

It means that business as usual is no longer enough.

It means it’s time to stop burning teams and resources chasing incremental improvements.

It means you need to stop doing the same thing everyone else is doing.  

It means you need to clearly identify the big change in the world and the specific problem you are solving related to that.

It means you need to align and activate your teams around that insight.

It means it’s time to codify and celebrate your vision and point of view on the world to inspire your teams and market.

It means it’s time to build a brand that drives demand as an own-able, defendable point of differentiation.

That’s brand strategy

Brand strategy defines meaning and direction to the entire organization, which leads to alignment and differentiation, so you can stop competing on the same terms and slim margins as everyone else. 

As companies mature–and add layers of specialization, process, and complexity–they risk losing touch with the simple, independent spirit of passion and performance that initially sparked an idea that created a business that attracted a loyal following. That is your DNA, the reason the brand exists...your Soul. 

Geraci & Co. is a brand strategy and communications group. We partner with businesses and causes to identify and codify why their brand matters, to whom, and the best ways to activate and communicate that to the markets,  We build brands that can grow from the core to more by developing True, Distinct, and Interesting strategies and communications campaigns.

Meet Mike Geraci