Branding and Disruptive Innovation: Owning Game-Changing Subcategories

THE ONLY WAY TO GROW (with rare exceptions) is the disruptive innovation where “must haves” defining game-changing subcategories deliver new or markedly superior customer experiences or brand relationships. Branding, which holds the key to success of this growth strategy, is often underused or neglected. There are four branding jobs – to become the exemplar brand , position new subcategory, scale the customer base, and provide barriers to competitors. Case studies show how to implement this strategy in the fast-moving digital age. The alternative, “ my brand is better than your brand” competition, almost never generates growth and is not so fun.