The Invisible Brand Dilemma
An “invisible brand” is one that fails to achieve market penetration and brand awareness, despite a quality product, due to a weak or undefined brand strategy.
This dilemma typically stems from a vague value proposition, a poorly defined target audience, and a lack of clear differentiation from competitors.
The solution lies in strategic brand positioning—as defined by Ries and Trout—which carves out a distinct and memorable space in the consumer's mind.
The Power of Position
Positioning isn't about what you do. It's about what you stand for in the minds of your customers.
It's about being the only solution to a problem that matters.
Three paths lie before you:
The Audience Whisperer
Speak to a specific group. Not everyone. Not most people. A specific tribe.
Marmite gets it. They don't try to please everyone. They polarise.
As they say, “Love us or hate us.”
First Round Capital doesn't chase every startup. They focus on the early-stage dreamers.
Deathwish Coffee isn't for the faint-hearted. It's for the bold souls who treated caffeine like a challenge.
Lululemon didn't sell to everyone. Not at first.
They focused on one passionate group.
Yoga practitioners.
This built a cult following. It made them a global brand.
When you speak to anyone, you talk to no one. When you speak to someone, you become irreplaceable.
The Giant Slayer
Find the chink in the armour of the industry Goliath, then strike.
Grind saw Nespresso's environmental Achilles' heel and offered a green alternative.
Warby Parker realised people hate the pain of trying on glasses in stores. So they brought the store to the people.
Canva saw that Adobe's software was too complex.
That was the chink in the armour.
They didn't try to out-feature the leader. They just offered radical simplicity.
This lets millions create brilliant stuff with ease.
Harry's looked at the overpriced razors and said, “We can do better.” Don't just enter the market. Change the game.
The Mission Maverick
Start with why. Not what you do, but why you do it.
Hiut Denim isn't just making jeans; they're bringing back a town's lost heritage.
Tesla isn't just selling cars; they're accelerating the world toward switching to sustainable energy.
Patagonia built its brand on activism.
Their mission isn't just some clever slogan.
It drives everything. It's why people choose them.
Even when they're told to buy less and repair more.
Asket isn't just another fashion brand; they are waging war on fast fashion.
When this mission resonates, your customers become your evangelists.
The Choice is Yours
Make it easy for them to pick you in a world of infinite choices.
Pick your way. Audience. Product. Mission.
Then shout it from the mountaintops. Consistently. Relentlessly. Repeatedly.
Ultimately, it's never about how you perceive yourself but how they perceive you.
Make it impossible to ignore you.
Make it easy to choose you.
Make a difference.
That's how you become visible.
That's how you win.
The Last Word
Remember, marketing is not about hoodwinking people into buying something they don't need. It's about connecting the dots between what you offer and what they truly want.
It's about telling a story that resonates so profoundly that choosing you becomes the only logical conclusion. So, which story will you tell? The one where you're just another option in a sea of sameness?
Or the one in which you are the only realistic option for those rare few who do matter?
The invisible brand or the unstoppable force?
The decision, as always, is yours.
Decide accordingly.
