{"id":4584,"date":"2015-02-12T16:59:48","date_gmt":"2015-02-12T16:59:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thinkerprofit.com\/?p=4584"},"modified":"2015-02-12T16:59:48","modified_gmt":"2015-02-12T16:59:48","slug":"stop-brand-imitator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinkerventures.com\/stop-brand-imitator\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop being a brand imitator"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"create\"<\/a>
\nYou\u2019ve heard it said that imitation is the highest form of flattery. In fact, I would guess that many of us spend our time imitating someone we want to be like. That\u2019s a good thing in some cases, particularly when the qualities we are imitating are universal such as caring, respect, or betterment of oneself. However, imitation in branding can sometimes be detrimental, and copying something that’s successful for others can be a sign that you don\u2019t know who you are.<\/p>\n

Take, for instance, Radio Shack<\/a>. I remember shopping at Radio Shack for electronic gadgets when I was in middle school. I was a bit of a geek, and Radio Shack was the only place in town I could find the cases, breadboards, resistors, and other DIY electronic items needed for my projects.<\/p>\n

Somewhere along the line, Radio Shack lost track of what it was best at. It seemed from the outside that they had an identity crisis and tried to become a regular consumer electronics retailer. The trouble with that strategy was that it diluted what they were good at. Their competition then, was Best Buy, Amazon.com, or the local Verizon, Sprint or T-Mobile store.<\/p>\n

Radio Shack began to sell cell phones, like everyone else. I understand there\u2019s money in selling cell phone contracts, but that\u2019s a crowded market. Are there not a hundred other places that sell cell phones? In my town, there\u2019s a free-standing Radio Shack next to a free-standing Sprint store, next to Target, across the street from the Verizon store. Why would anyone go to Radio Shack? What could possibly be better about buying a cell phone at the local Radio Shack?<\/p>\n

Radio Shack missed the Maker Revolution<\/a>, which it should have been poised to be one of the leaders of. Radio Shack could have been the go-to place for creating, not for everybody-else-sells-them headphones and cell phones.<\/p>\n

Maybe focusing on a smaller niche wouldn\u2019t have made shareholders happy. Maybe by focusing on what Radio Shack could do differently would have significantly changed the revenue or profit potential of the company. I\u2019m sure there were reasons, but by trying to be like everyone else, the brand became diluted, stood for nothing, and by becoming like everyone else, signed a death sentence<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We see imitators in our clients’ industries. We develop brand identities, and marketing campaigns focused around what our clients’ companies do best. We develop strategies that the company can sustain, instead of trying to imitate a competitor. Why? Because imitation isn\u2019t sustainable.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at some positives and negatives of imitating other brands:<\/p>\n