"While unsuccessful entrepreneurs obsess over what makes their brand special, successful entrepreneurs instead ask a more powerful question to transform their business into an unstoppable brand: What am I fighting against? This is the concept of the " strategic enemy," which I wrote my new book about, and it is the most powerful yet underutilized tools in brand building. A strategic enemy is the oppositional force that your brand or category stands against. It could be a competitor, category, convention, or concept."
"Want to grab your customer's attention? Don't just tell them how great you are. Tell them the enemy that you stand against - and fight to defeat. Identifying a strategic enemy will force you to clearly define what you are not, which will enable consumers to more easily understand what you are. Here's the bottom line: To build a successful brand, you need to be perceived as first in something - by either pioneering a new category or narrowing your focus."
"Colgate popularized toothpaste in a tube. Enemy: tooth powders. Salesforce popularized CRM in the cloud. Enemy: software. Tropicana popularized orange juice not from concentrate. Enemy: frozen concentrate. Oatly popularized oatmilk. Enemy: cow's milk. Uber popularized ride-sharing. Enemy: taxis. Most brands have a positioning statement buried in a brand book, but these statements are typically written to serve as an umbrella covering everything the company does."
A strategic enemy is the oppositional force that a brand or category stands against, which can be a competitor, category, convention, or concept. Asking 'What am I fighting against?' forces clear definition of what a brand is not, making it easier for consumers to understand what it is. Successful brands are perceived as first in something by pioneering a new category or narrowing focus. Historical examples include Colgate versus tooth powders, Salesforce versus on-premises software, Tropicana versus frozen concentrate, Oatly versus cow's milk, and Uber versus taxis. Vague umbrella positioning becomes a laundry list and fails because the mind craves simplicity, clarity and contrast.
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