First to market, category disruptors seem like they would be easier because they are filling a gap in the marketplace, but when you are either having to educate an audience due to unfamiliarity, and or shift their behavior by making them “unlearn” something that was second nature, launching a first of its kind product or service takes a completely different kind of focus and patience.
Launching first in category brands doesn’t always exist in the same way, therefore, need to be messaged and launched with nuance.
When the product exists – but you have a new point of view.
RX BAR – Cliff Bar, Luna Bar and countless others sat on grocery shelves, but RX Bar looked at the gap of what their target audience (initially cross-fitters) needed, recognizable, simple ingredients that were packed with protein. And changed the face of nutritional bars, quite literally with their disruptive packaging.
OLLY SUPPLEMENTS – The vitamin/supplement category had been around for almost a century, but learning from health food stores that sell single ingredient and benefit-focused supplements instead of multi-vitamins, Olly was born with now dozens of competitors and the original category leaders chasing their every move. Individual needs with the tagline “Real Support for Real Life” and instead of overpromising perfect days and perfect health, leaned in to human moments. The packaging focuses on function right in the bullseye at shelf, color theory is used to amplify the functionality.
SPOTIFY – Sure Napster, Last.fm, and Pandora already existed, but Spotify entered the market at the first to offer users unlimited steaming on songs of their choice by actually working WITH the record labels instead of promoting piracy and converted all the lovers of Napster his way with either subscriptions and or free service but interruptions from ads. Launching with the support and promotion of the music industry users started to quickly join, the brand launched their first campaign in 2013 in partnership with The Voice on NBC. Tidal and Apple Music followed but didn’t have the global traction of Spotify.
When you have invented a new type of product for an existing category.
TECODA – Ready-to-Drinks (or RTD’s as the Bev Alc industry loves to call them) lined the shelves at retail. First White Claw and Truly with their malt-based quick and easy patio pounders, and then High Noon and Onda to counter the sugary not real booze push-back. Tecoda, launched in August 2023 had a different proposition, especially in those states that regulated spirits (NY, Texas, Tennessee and so forth). What if we fermented the blue agave for a smoother, no sugar added, refreshingly light low-abv product that could be picked up at your local whole foods or bodega. Tequila at your bodega – previously impossible. So going to market as a “not tequila but not not tequila” wink and nod with a yes – you can get tequila in your bodega amplification, the first-of-its-kind RTD was born, hanging out experientially in NYC in bodega’s, magazine stores, and health-conscious restaurants that previously were not licensed for spirits.
SKII – While toners clearly lived in the US skincare vernacular (Clinique 3-step system anyone?), American consumers new nothing of an essence, until SKII brought the promise of a high content of active ingredients – namely its pitaya and added a completely new skincare step all together. Pioneering the celebrity endorsed skincare brand marketing play, SKII launched in the US with Cate Blanchett in 2011 using the key ingredient and origin story as her proof point making American’s learn about pitaya and essence as a completely new believable promise for crystal clear skin.
When your business category quite literally did not exist before you built it
VRBO – Rental properties for investment. Check. Rental properties with short term vacation agreements that are handled by a digital platform vs. the direct owner. No such thing. Until VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner). Launching with a simple, understandable purpose of helping owners rent their vacation properties to renters in a seamless place for more visibility, easy of selecting available dates and payment protection for both parties. Launching via word-of-mouth using a simple webform and internal database with very early SEO the first marketing campaign came way after the acquisition of home and away proving going directly to your target with word-of-mouth advertising within a category that people readily search creates a win. Once massive competitors like Airbnb entered the market, Vrbo needed to do the appropriate branding mission they never needed before, even with their parent company Expedia supporting improved user experience. Most recently doubling down on their original mission of trust, transparency, and consistency vs. “the other” vacation rental” and a refreshed communications strategy. *
WEBEX* – Webex was around in 1996 but they didn’t add video 2003. With a B2B specific audience in mind and went to market one by one with their first “alpha customer” being a collaborative business that they called via “conferencing” and meant for online. When the team was ready to “create media” they launched the humorous “Meetings Used to Be a Real Drag” branding campaign starring RuPaul which helped grow revenues by 10X in one year and made WebEx a household name in the process. Acquired by Cisco in 2007 and often overshadowed in the 2010’s when front facing cameras, Facetime and other personal device video calling reigned supreme for real people, not work the company rebranded in 2021 at the peak of the pandemic with a full visual identity rework and partnership with McClaren F1 racing their focus remains on the intended B2B target focusing on team flow and individual team member contribution within hybrid work. Skype, Microsoft Teams, Google Meets, and Zoom followed but WebEx, the original is still innovating today.
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