Your brand challenge: Become a challenger.
In literature, challengers are a recurring motif — reflecting human desires for growth, transformation and overcoming obstacles.
From ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ to ‘1984’ to ‘The Catcher in the Rye’, challengers arrive in storylines and bring about significant change.
The ideas in these stories have spread so widely, they’re taught in schools, they’ve permanently changed behaviours throughout society.
Can Brands do the same?
Today, in an era oversaturated with commodities and conglomerates clamouring for consumer’s gaze, the ubiquity of branding has become an inescapable reality. Yet, within this cacophony of commercialism, a select breed of entities emerges — ones that, like the lead characters in the notable novels, eschew the norm, disrupt the established order, and stake out their territory in the marketplace. These are the challenger brands, and it is in the crucible of wildly effective branding that their true potential is set ablaze.
Challenger brands, inhabitants of cutthroat industries, disdain conformity, thrusting themselves into the fray armed with innovative concepts, unique value propositions, or disruptive business paradigms. For them, mediocrity is anathema; their pursuit is to redefine the market narrative and etch an enduring impression upon the consumer psyche.
While the importance of branding echoes across all echelons of commerce, it is the challenger brands that find themselves in the crucible where branding becomes an imperative of existential proportions.
The Struggle to Emerge from a Sea of Conformity:
Within markets dominated by behemoths, where giants hold sway over the collective consciousness, standing out assumes the guise of a Herculean task. Enter branding — the alchemy that transmutes the ordinary into the extraordinary. It is through the artistry of effective branding that challenger brands metamorphose, crafting a distinctive identity that ensnares the consumer’s attention. A narrative woven with finesse and a visual lexicon both singular and arresting conspire to render a challenger brand unforgettable, resonating with those seeking refuge from the mundane.
Every profession, service, product and idea holds challenger potential. Take the legal sector, not known for radicalism. We saw that, in a world of law firms, consisting of names of people you’ll never meet — hung above doorways you rarely walk through — a brand device that invites you in via an amplified angle to discuss ideas will help far more than following the crowd in efforts to further cement elitist preconceptions. Our work for Simmons & Simmons took the firm away from the common wash of dark blue bland reassurances, into a coral hued dialogue focused on deeply held collaborative actions. In short, it stood up for something and stood out from the crowd to new clients.
A Quest for Trust and Legitimacy:
In the realm of commerce, trust is a currency both scarce and invaluable. Challenger brands, regarded with skepticism due to the dominance of familiar titans, confront an uphill battle in their quest for credibility. Strategic branding emerges as the bridge spanning the chasm, communicating authenticity, transparency, and an unwavering commitment to bestow value. A finely tuned brand message becomes a clarion call, instilling confidence in consumers that the challenger brand is not a mere upstart but a formidable and worthy contender in the arena.
Challenger need not mean new. 73 years of customer insights gave our client Saga a unique and insightful view of what their audience of the 50+ thinks, feels & behaves. These people are the fastest growing, most affluent & influential segment in the UK. They are not relics of the past, but the most refined connoisseurs of today. We discovered Saga customers are far more likely to choose a brand focused on experience rather than simply how old they are. So rather than simply serve a more mature audience, it was time to champion them by challenging long held preconceptions of what it means to be older than 50. They don’t support old ideas, they elevate a more mature view.
Conducting a Symphony of Emotions:
Brands that evoke sentiments become more than mere commodities — they become companions in the consumer’s journey. Challenger brands, endowed with just enough audacity, stand at the precipice of a unique opportunity — to forge emotional connections. Branding transcends the prosaic enumeration of features; it delves into the tapestry of aspirations, values, and desires woven by the target audience. By striking an emotional chord, challenger brands convert customers into advocates, weaving a tapestry of loyalty.
Challengers gain supporters faster. For the Natural History Museum we saw an organisation looking to challenge public perceptions about how the natural world works. On a simpler level they also wished to increase visitor numbers. Through developing a challenging visual and verbal approach to communications we launched a new campaign that saw the highest visitor numbers in 147 years. No new attraction. No new exhibition. Just new challenger language.
Optimizing Scant Resources:
Endowed with pockets less deep than their colossal counterparts, challenger brands operate in the realm of resource scarcity. Every marketing dollar is a precious investment, and here, branding emerges as the wise sage guiding strategic allocations. A meticulously crafted brand strategy and toolkit allows brands to channel limited resources into initiatives harmonizing with their stories, resonating with audiences globally. In this dance of frugality, branding ensures that each marketing endeavor contributes to the brand’s ascendancy.
Challengers dont look to outspend, they should look to outthink. David & Goliaths continue apace, with the seemingly small fry outwitting the big fish. Tech companies are famously good at creating new tech, but less super at looking after that tech once it’s in the hands of users. While there are several Goliath brands in the insuring and financing of devices, we worked to transform a logistics company few had heard of called BrightStar into a giant killer. The new brand, now called Likewize is currently the fastest growing tech protection brand on the planet — serving millions of device users worldwide, from purchase to use to repair to recycle. Bucking sector norms, the branding is bright pink, the infographics simply complexity and the language integrates the brand name rather than relegating it to the bottom right corner of every advert. Want better branding? Likewize.
Navigating the Tempest of Market Disruption:
Challenger brands birthed from a crucible of innovation aspire to disrupt markets, introduce fresh paradigms, and dance on the filthy razor’s edge of consumer preference. As markets undergo metamorphosis and consumer whims waltz, effective branding serves as the North Star for these trailblazers. A robust brand becomes the compass steering through the tempest of uncertainty, allowing the brand to adapt while retaining its essence — a navigational beacon in the tumultuous seas of market dynamics.
Humans are fantastically awful at predicting the future, yet we continue to play the crystal ball lottery daily. (The thrill of accidental confirmation both addictive and undeniable!) Considered brand work takes away the hope of arrival into a magnetically guided path to success. Like our new work for Eden Project, Setting visual and verbal brand parameters, agreeing values to operate by, installing behaviours to embrace — all enable organisations to avoid the temptation of destructive continual reinvention — in short, challenger branding practice gets brands where they want to be faster, with less effort and with greater impact.
While the resonance of branding echoes universally, the stakes escalate daily. In the theatre of cutthroat competition, a compelling brand presence with a plan is not just a choice — it is as required as water and wi-fi. For brands, the challenger mentality is not a mere accessory but the linchpin unlocking potential in the face of unrelenting competition.
Challengers in business rise not just to survive but to thrive, etching an indelible mark on the market and in the hearts of consumers. Being creatures of habit, we love the familiar, the comfy, the well known paths. But the products, services and organisations that choose courage over comfort lead the way.
While Challenger branding is no longer a luxury, it remains a challenge.
