Be the best or be the only ones?

Many large and medium-sized companies have in their mission statement or company vision the phrase: "Be the best ...". The problem is, being the best is an absurdity!

Being the best forces you, by definition, to compete. And in markets nowadays, the competition is often lethal. I know, many will tell me that the competition is obvious ... which is true only up to a certain point.

What is the best soft drink? What is the best watch? What is the best car? The answer to all three questions is "it depends". It depends on the taste, the aesthetics, the performance, the needs, the price, the circumstances, the country and a long etcetera. There is no such thing as "the best". (Tweet this)

So, by removing the factor of becoming the best, why not think about being the only ones. Being the only one eliminates competition by definition. When a company manages to create a product where its added value is its element of uniqueness, the competition has nothing to do. Apple is a tremendous example of this. Apple has not focused on making the best smartphone, the best tablet, or the best computer. No. Apple has always sought to differentiate itself by being unique. It does not seek to develop products, it seeks to generate categories and the results are visible. Remember Think Different.

Can you think of other brands that have been unique despite all the imitations and competitors? Facebook, Coca-Cola, Disney, Intel, McDonald's, Mercedes-Benz, Gillette. Being unique is more profitable than being better.

Kodak had in its hands the power to be unique when it developed the technology of digital photography, but the company preferred to hedge their bets on the security industry and today are struggling to compete.

To be unique is to look to the future from the land of the present. To be unique is to show that we know exactly what our consumer wants... sometimes before they ask for it. Marketing is no longer a fierce war but a game of strategy, where it is the smartest who win, not the strongest... those who know how to harvest loyalties are already the winners. As Sun Tzu said in The Art of War "the best victory is to win without fighting." (Tweet this)

If you are looking to create a killer marketing strategy that lets the world about your unique value proposition, why not check out our social strategy services and get in touch.