<ul><li>Create a new category others are blind to. E.g., brands like L'Oreal and Estée Lauder defined beauty as something on the outside. Then someone dared to create a category others were blind to - wellness.</li><li>Move from utility to lifestyle. Lifestyle brands are all about life moments that echo the brand's guiding beliefs.</li><li>Change the focus. Brand-led companies show how they think differently by showing the user how the brand belief will change them.</li><li>Change the reality. Smart companies reframe what people take for granted to adopt a new reality that benefits the brand. Eg., gut health or solo travel.</li></ul>

4 Ways to be "different"

When your product and business model are 'better than X', your identity is tied to the other entity. You're always in some kind of comparative game. A great brand is based on a belief your customers can experience in the future. This shifted perspective allows you to uncouple from the rules that makes your competitor stand out.

Shifting your paradigm

To get out of the trap, change your frame of reference. A brand is not a feature of benefits. It is a belief.&nbsp; The belief is the new benefit. Features and benefits do have a place in your messaging, but they don't define your brand. They are not even the foundation of your brand.

‘Better’ will always be a losing game for your brand

It's difficult for brands to resist wanting to be better than the competitor. The trap hides in many places: faster, cheaper, easier, more responsive, better service, voted # 1, top-rated, guaranteed, are all ways of trying to be better.

The "better" trap

Of all the quotes in all of my articles, there is one passage with significantly more highlights, tweets and shares than anything else I’ve written: This quote is from my piece The 16 Rules of Brand…

The "better" trap

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