From hyper-personalisation to interactivity, and pulling on heartstrings to latching onto the next big meme, the fight for customer attention has seen some creative solutions. Another, the rebel approach, appeals to the non-conformists, the independent, the countercultural, the rule-breakers. Challenging the mainstream norms, values and expectations of your industry can be a hugely successful way for brands to cut through the noise, provided they do it right.
The Rise of Rebel Branding
Companies like Mini Cooper, Apple’s iPod, Cirque du Soleil, and Starbucks all succeeded by radically redefining market expectations and brands. Radical differentiation is not just being different, but being different in a way that creates a new, unoccupied market space. Brands should grasp what makes them the ‘only’ in their space, providing a crystal-clear position for the company and its customers. Books such as ‘Purple Cow’ by Seth Godin and ‘Zag’ by Marty Neumeier pose these questions: ‘What makes you, you?’, ‘Why are you different?’ and ‘Who loves you?’, among others.
Why Conformity Is Killing Your Brand
Dan Matthews is an expert in brand strategy, design, and development. At Thinkable, he leads the brand revolution and helps organisations uncover their truth—the advantages that set them apart from the rest. He says that real rebellion in branding is not about edgy, creative, or provocative campaigns, but instead is about challenging the fundamental assumptions customers make about your industry.
“Most brands follow the same playbook, which is why they all look and sound the same,” he says. “Congratulations, you’re all equally forgettable. Revolutionary brands question why those rules exist in the first place.”
Radical Differentiation: Lessons from Market Leaders
Dan says that businesses should adopt a revolutionary positioning strategy if they are trapped in a market of sameness, struggling to differentiate themselves, or are competing on price. If your messaging sounds like that of your competitors, if you’re fighting for scraps in the middle of the market, or if talented people aren’t excited to work with you, Dan says that it’s time for revolutionary thinking.
“Basically, if you can swap logos with your competitors and nobody notices, we need to talk.”
Ditch The Branding Playbook
The brand revolutionist says that cut-through is imperative in today’s saturated market, and it’s actually a safe strategy that guarantees invisibility, so being forgettable is actually riskier than being bold. A rebel brand presents itself as an outsider or challenger, standing strong in its uniqueness and resistance to normalcy. It might even reject a slick corporate polish in favour of rawness and grassroots appeal.
“Revolutionary positioning requires courage, but mediocrity is a death sentence in a world where attention is the ultimate currency,” Dan says. “Playing it safe is like wearing camouflage to a party – you’re not avoiding risk; you’re just ensuring nobody notices you.”
Case Study: How Liquid Death Killed the Status Quo
Dan considers Liquid Death a brand revolution exemplar. “In a world of pristine water bottles and wellness messaging, they dared to ask: “What if we marketed water like beer?” The conventional wisdom said premium water should be elegant, sophisticated, and healthy. Liquid Death chose to be bold, irreverent, and punk rock. They put still water in tallboy cans with skull imagery and the tagline “Murder Your Thirst.” Risky? Absolutely. But it created a $700M brand by making every other water brand look like they were attending the world’s most boring dinner party.”
Rebel with a Cause: What’s Your Brand’s Truth?
Thinkable helps brands discover their revolutionary truth, and that’s not just being different for the sake of being different. “It’s about finding the novel and creating next practices,” Dan says. “If everyone’s following the same ‘best’ practices, they’re probably not that distinctive anymore.”
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