I was raised on sports. Which means I was raised competition. And while I have just enough social grace to tone down my competitiveness to the outside world, I am secretly always competing against something.
At Long Winter Media, we think it’s important for our clients to embrace competition. In our branding process, we work with clients to help name differentiators: value that they offer to their target audience in ways that are different than their competitors. But, in these branding sessions, I’ve noticed that sometimes we get really uncomfortable with the idea of competitors. I think this happens for two reasons:
We equate the word competitor with enemy. We don’t want to be on bad terms with anyone. We’d rather go at it all together.
We perceive ourselves as one-of-a-kind, and therefore have no direct competitors.
The trick is that competitors help us shape our own identity. They help us tether ourselves to an industry and an audience. In this, we can make wiser decisions about our brand, how we spend resources, and what we can let go.
And, competitors help us understand how we might strive to be unique in the eyes of our target audience. Uniqueness in the eyes of your audience should be a key goal in your branding and communications strategy.
Ready to have a conversation about who your competition is and how you can differentiate in light of it? Get in touch: Michaela [at] Longwintermedia.com
