These Two Businesses Had the Same Branding Problem
Summary
Brands die in the middle by trying to appeal to everyone and saying nothing. Use attribute sliders to force binary positioning decisions—ensure at least one slider goes to an extreme (1 or 10), not a mediocre 5. Two competing candle companies with identical products both failed to differentiate because they straddled the middle on every axis.
Key Takeaways
- Create 4-5 attribute sliders with opposing polarities (affordable vs. luxury, epic vs. intimate, handmade vs. mass-produced). Force yourself to score 1-10 on each, with at least one extreme score. Middle-ground positioning (5s) signals weak differentiation.
- Competitive differentiation test: map your competitor's attribute sliders. If their graph matches yours, you haven't differentiated. Two identical candle makers (both 'T' branded, both natural, handmade, long-burning, mid-price) failed this test completely.
- Don't waste package real estate on vague messaging. One candle maker told their origin story only on Instagram/in-person, leaving the physical product silent. Use packaging itself as a storytelling asset—it's where most purchase decisions happen in consumer goods.
- The 'affordable luxury' paradox: conflicting brand attributes require hard choices. Define what each polarity means specifically, then pick a side. Clients requesting 'epic AND intimate' are asking for the middle—push back and force a decision.
- Personal branding principle: identify your two biggest competitors and map their positioning. If you're undifferentiated from them, rebuild your sliders. The test reveals whether your brand positioning is actually distinct in a crowded market.
Related topics
Transcript Excerpt
This is where brands go to die. Right in the middle. You're for everyone. You say nothing. There's no point. Oftentimes in marketing, we pretend to be somebody we're not. And all we have to do is look inward and tell our story. What inspired you to start a candle company of all things you could do? >> I wanted to buy my own boat. >> Okay. This is amazing. All right. So, let's not tell that story. Here's the story. I'm I'm I'm a creative weirdo. Okay. >> When I was >> No, no. I'm going to tell you the story. Somebody take the mic from this child. All right, here we go. Often times a client will tell you, "I want it to be epic and I want it to be intimate." For me, that's a problem cuz in my mind, those are conflicting ideas. Help me understand this a little bit better. So, if we were to put…