How do you make your brand stand out when selling similar products to competitors?
Topic summary
The discussion addresses differentiation strategies when selling products similar to competitors.
Context & Challenge:
- A brand entered a niche market (local skateboard shoes) with 2-3 other competitors after a predecessor brand exited
- Limited ability to differentiate through product specificity alone
Solution Implemented:
- Created cross-cultural campaigns blending skateboarding with unexpected lifestyle elements (examples: “skateboarding & tacos,” “architect by day, skateboarder by night”)
- Developed unique brand narratives that stood out from standard skateboarding positioning
- Strategy proved successful over several years and continues occasionally
Key Success Factor:
- Emphasized that creative positioning must be supported by strong product quality to maintain credibility and effectiveness
1 Like
This is a tricky one 
when we started, we, along with 2-3 other brands, were kind of pioneering the local skateboard shoes after the predecessor brand was no longer in production. It’s already a niche in its own category, so we couldn’t be more specific than that, but the good thing was that we were just competing with those other brands.
What we did was create cross-cultural campaigns/products. I can’t tell you the exact thing 
, but let’s say we are creating something like a “skateboarding & tacos” lifestyle, pushing an “architect by day, skateboarder by night” or “skateboarder by day, spiritual leader by night” agenda. Something that stood out and was kicking. It worked for several years, and we’re still doing it from time to time, but it has to be backed by proof, by the good product quality we’re producing.