THE CATEGORY IS GREATER THAN THE BRAND
Laws govern the earth. There are natural, social, and religious laws that govern the earth and human interaction. That you’re ignorant of a law doesn’t exonerate you from its consequence. If you jump from a building your only destination is down because the law of gravity will take its full toll on you, whether you’re a baby, saint or sinner.
I got the inspiration for this article from the book ‘The 22 Immutable LAWS OF MARKETING’ Al Ries and Jack Trout. The book was published in 1993 and most of the laws are still relevant today. Let’s look at the first two laws
THE LAW OF LEADERSHIP: Who was the first person to climb mount Everest? Sir Edmund Hilary in 1953, who was the second? I bet you don’t know because nobody remebers the second brand in a market they always remeber the first. The first noodles brand in Nigeria is INDOMIE do you know the second?
WHY IS THIS LAW IMPORTANT?
It is embeded in human nature to stick to what is familiar to them so if your brand becomes the first in a product category customers find it difficult to shake you off their mind
When you’re the first in a product category customers start associating your product to the category. For example in Nigeria we don’t say we want to buy noodles we say we want to buy ‘INDOMIE’ This is interesting because noodles is the name of the product category and indomie is the name of the brand! hahahahaha. When the average Nigerian want to drink coffee they ask for NESCAFE, not coffee.
THE LAW OF CATEGORY: Don’t lose hope that someone beat you to beome first in a product category, you can create a sub category and dominate it. For example coaching as a category in Nigeria is associated with Lanre Olusola so by the help of God i created a sub category ‘SALES COACHING’ and this has helped in putting food on my table and progressively helped me in living the life of my dreams.
DON’T PROMOTE THE BRAND, PROMOTE THE CATEGORY
Promoting your brand is basically comparing yourself with another company, thats’s a finite game. Promoting your category that’s an infinite game.
What you should do is promote the power and utility of your category because your category is greater than your brand.
Refreshment as a product category is greater than Coca Cola as a brand
Coaching as a category is greater than any coach
water as a categroy is greater than any water brand
By creating content and educating the market about what: coaching, water, or noodles can do for them you’ll indirectly move the attention to your brand and your offer
Instead of you to say buy my water, say ‘these are the 5 benefits of drinking 6 gallons of water a day by XYZ water brand’
EXAMPLES OF CATEGORY KINGS
Ali Baba: He created the category of Stand up comedy in Nigeria
Indomie: They created the category of noodles in Nigeria
If your category has already being created, create a sub category
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