Think Categories, Not Brands

While working on my Face Book page some months ago, I can remember posting a comment that generated so many arguable opinions and feedbacks. Now, what was it I posted that my friends and fans were so busy arguing amongst themselves about? It was simple, “It is easier and better to be the first than it is to be better” and later I’ll explain what I meant. So many people were vexed and opposed my assertion while so many others appreciated my out-of-the-box line of thought. Astonishingly, about a week after the post I read a book titled ‘The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing’ by Al Ries & Jack Trout and guess what; we all belonged to the same school of thought.

Believe me it is easier to be the first than it is to be the best because, the former is a pacesetter and his name automatically becomes a generic for that category whereas the latter would have to compete with many others using up a lot of resources in other to be the best, which in many cases they rarely achieve their quest. Surprisingly, findings have shown that despite the regular spending spree of these latter contestants, they still suffer from people unconsciously identifying their products by the formers name. For instance, think of how many times you have gone to buy a detergent and mentioned the name of the first in that category whereas that wasn’t what you probably needed or, think of how many things has happened to you for the first time that you remember but have forgotten the rest occurrences in the same category. The truth is that the mind is a magnet that places priority on ‘the first’ other than ‘the rest’.

I often implore people to think categories and not brands to save themselves from unhealthy competitions. It’s as easy as ABC! Why die trying to be the most handsome man when you can be the most handsome fat man? Save yourself from the side effects of weight trimming drugs and hunger strikes, simply define your own category and top the chart. The above example can be applied to other facets of life and trust me, the result will be mind blowing. All you need to do as a prospective leader, businessman, entrepreneur etc is put on your thinking cap and start rolling out unique categories, and watch your brand speak for itself.

Reversal

Conversely, in as much as being the first in a category can save you a lot of unhealthy competition, it will also amount to nothing if you fail to constantly upgrade the relevance of your brand with respect to the competitors because, customers don’t want to put their money in holes anymore; they sure want commensurate value for their money. These days, people want a brand that has both class and poise and you don’t want to gamble with their needs simply because you were first in that category else, you might end up getting out of business with your name in their minds still but your company totally liquidated. Be wise!