Brand Relevance: Making Competitors Irrelevant - always yours

CREATING BARRIERS 295
In some cases, of course, there is no brand that steps up to the
exemplar role. In that case, the brand needs to be perceived as a
credible option for the emerging category or subcategory and create
a strong link to it. One way to make the connection is simply
by brute force, to use advertising, packaging, or sponsorships
to connect the brand and the new category or subcategory. That
has been done but can be diffi cult and expensive because the
audience may have inadequate reason to process information and
learn connections.
This chapter has discussed examined the four routes to creating
barriers to competition. The next chapter will examine the
threat of losing relevance for an established brand as new categories
or subcategories emerge and the challenge of gaining relevance
into an established category.
Key Takeaways
Creating categories or subcategories is expensive, risky, and
stressful to the organization. The payoff for those that succeed
will depend on the competitive barriers that fi rms can create.
The higher the barrier, the greater the immediate profi t fl ow and
market momentum. Among the barriers:
• Creating investment barriers, such as proprietary technology
or capabilities, superior execution, scale economies, brand
equity, brand networks, and a loyal customer base
• Owning a compelling benefi t or benefi ts by becoming the
most authentic brand, by fostering visible credibility, by
becoming a moving target, or by branding the innovation
with a branded differentiator
• Having a customer relationship going beyond functional
benefi ts that is based on involving the customer with the