What should your brand strategy avoid?

Lindsay Says

In almost all markets, the specific crowds out the general. Brands that lack specificity will fail.

So, avoid being general, vanilla, “safe.” Instead, be radically specific about what you stand for.

When you're radically specific, you make it easier for customers and employees to grok your brand, creating a vibrant cycle of value creation, both human and economic.

The Specificity Paradox

Leaders sometimes worry that by being radically specific about their brand promise, they will exclude portions of their audience. But in actuality, the opposite happens. The sweet spot audience will find you more relevant and compelling when you are radically specific. And audiences outside your sweet spot are still invited in.

When you are radically explicit about what you stand for, you paradoxically include more people.

When Spotify targets the 20-something audience with a radically specific promise, they are not preventing my 79-year-old father from becoming a customer. In fact, my father is learning from his 20-something grandkids, who are indeed Spotify’s sweet spot audience. In specifically serving 20-somethings, Spotify expands (rather than limits) its appeal.

And consider what happens internally within your company when you are radically specific. It gives all of your people permission to double down on the thing that only you bring, and that matters deeply to your sweet spot audience.

Radically specific promises make value creation and prioritization easier and more rewarding for your people. You build a culture that knows where it's going and what it cares about it, rather than just building something general or vague, and therefore unfulfilling to anyone.

Some examples:

Examples of Vague:	Examples of Radically Specific:
Walmart	Everlane = sustainably sourced clothing
Chevrolet	Mini-Cooper = zippy lightheartedness
Kroger	Trader Joes= fun exploration in the grocery store

Being radically specific is a signal of respect to your audiences, both external and internal. And it allows you as a leader to double down on that radically specific thing that you own, so your growth can be purposeful and durable.