ONLY IS BETTER THAN BEST

Simply put - It’s tough to be the best - especially if you’re the new kid on the block. Determining what makes a brand the "best" is subjective and varies among consumers. Individuals will have different preferences, priorities, and criteria for evaluating excellence, making it challenging to satisfy everyone. The benchmark for being the "best" is also always changing as competitors innovate and introduce new features or improvements. Market conditions, consumer preferences, and industry trends evolve over time, what is considered the best today may not be tomorrow.

Trying to do things better than other brands, also puts you in direct competition with them. If you do manage to beat the competition and make it to the top, you can be assured there will be line of people trying to knock you off. It’s definitely easier (and more fun) to concentrate on your business, brand and community, as opposed to looking in the rear view mirror for the competition.

This isn’t to say you shouldn’t aim to be ‘The Best’, but if you can couple that with also being the ‘Only’ you’ll find some magic dust. You’ll be able to enjoy space from your competitors rather than going head-to-head with them, and losing out to brands that are ‘worse’ but have more money or fame. Strategically positioning your brand to emphasise its distinctiveness and unique value proposition can be a powerful approach to building a strong and memorable brand presence.

Being ‘The Only’ creates differentiation, making you memorable and have standout. It will reduce comparison, and because of this will give you a position of perceived authority and market leadership. With individuals being exposed to thousands of marketing messages every day, having a different story to tell can help create cut through. Positioning yourself as ‘The Only’ also helps create brand loyalty and ‘word of mouth’, allowing your community of brand fans to grow.

Ask yourself if you want to be ‘The Best’ or ‘The Only’.