We are happy to answer marketing questions of all types here on Branding Strategy Insider. Today, Sohan, a Marketer in New Delhi, India asks…
Hi Derrick and Brad,
I am a Branding enthusiast and have been following this resource for quite some time. I really appreciate the quality of the information you are sharing.
I have a question regarding brand consulting. As a consultant how can one deal with multiple clients belonging to the same category or worse, the same market segment? Does working with a client and giving a market-winning-strategy reduce the possibility of suggestible ideas for other clients in the same category in the future?
Thank you for this question, Sohan. To avoid conflict of interest, we always work with only one competitor in a given category for a year’s period of time. We also sign and honor non-disclosure agreements. Having said that, I have found that each organization has unique strengths and weaknesses within its product/service category. For example, I have worked with several wealth management firms and none of them have ended up with brand positions that are even close to similar. The same is true for the 100+ brands I have worked with and their respective business categories. There are numerous brand positions in a given category and even within a given segment of a category.
I have never encountered a situation in which I felt as though I could not position yet another brand in a category because I had positioned a previous brand in a similar way in that same category. To me, this is one of the things that makes brand positioning so much fun. With so many possible points of difference, including functional, emotional, experiential and self-expressive benefits and numerous shared values, the positioning possibilities are numerous.
Have a question related to branding? Just Ask The Blake Project
The Blake Project Can Help: The Brand Positioning Workshop
Branding Strategy Insider is a service of The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy specializing in Brand Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Licensing and Brand Education
