David Quinn speaks out for the underdog – the challenger brand

In this country of ours we all love a challenger. It is something in our national DNA that goes deep. Ireland is a small country with big neighbours. So we have to box clever. In business too, we love to see the challenger brand succeed. The brand that takes on the establishment and wins. The brand that wants to shake things up and change the entire market place.

At Bloom, we have worked with a line of challenger brands over the last 15 years: Brady Family Ham, Just Eat, The City Bin Co, Connacht Gold and CityJet. They have grown and flourished in the face of stiff competition. Tired brands re-invented themselves, re-emerging as a challenger. Our agency guide outlines how to compete as a challenger brand.

To succeed, you have to want to be the best, as otherwise you are wasting your time. You must commit to excellence; to over-delivering on your promise. You have to be a real ham in a marketplace of processed pink meat. Or, a new app that will revolutionise take away foods.

Or, a regional airline which flies directly to the centre of London rather than the suburbs.

So how can challenger brands disrupt the status quo? Is it about price, functionality, quality or perception? The fact is it can be one or a combination of these factors, but there are behaviours and rules common to most challenger brands’ success. They may have limited resources and modest budgets but they make up the shortfall with ambition and courage.

Just recently, we created a TV ad for Connacht Gold, fronted by former model and blogger Pippa O’Connor (right). Research suggests most consumers believe butter comes wrapped in foil, unlike Connacht Gold, which is in a tub. People associate a tub with spreads, prompting the line ‘There are some things you don’t expect to find in a tub’. The TVC was produced by Maxine Brady’s Pull the Trigger and shot by fashion photographer Barry McCall.

Rule 1: Be yourself  

You are unique. So tell the world. Set out clearly who you are and what you do. Do not play by your competitor’s rules. Otherwise, you get lost in all the noise and end up promoting them. Make your own rules. Tell the world you are a real ham, made with no added water from 100 per cent Irish pork. Or a half real butter. And let them find you out there.

Rule 2: Shake up the category 

Do and say the things that can change the way people think about the category. It could be an innovation that changes the way consumers order take away food. Or, a bin company which promises to provide excellent customer service. These are the things your new customers will notice and cause them to question the existing suppliers and the status quo.

Rule 3: Focus, focus, focus 

You can’t be all things to all men and women. Be single minded. Say one thing. Over and over again. Like, we fly direct to the centre of London, not to the suburbs. Use the most optimum media for your target audience and cut it there. You do not need to be on all the media – you cannot afford it. The most optimum media may not be the cheapest.

The reason is nobody is listening. Concentrate your media into shorter bursts as it increases the frequency and gets your brand noticed. Concentrate your message on your target market.

Rule 4: Use stand out advertising 

Fortunately, for the challenger brand, most advertising speaks with one voice. It provides a major opportunity to stand out. Do not be shy. Create advertising that gets noticed. Do not create advertising which speaks with the same voice as established brands. Otherwise, you end up promoting the brand leader and its owner will not send you a thank you card.

It is difficult when you are a challenger brand not to be tempted to behave the same way as established brands do. But they have bigger market share and deeper resources and all your efforts will end up promoting them. To sum up, to compete and succeed as a challenger you have to be yourself, shake up the market, focus and re-focus and stand out from your rivals.

Some challenger campaigns from around the world feature on the Bloom website. The Saltwater Brewery in Florida show how crafty they can be with packaging that stands out. Gay Turtle shows up homophobia in Turkey in a simple way. Ducosol is a UK constipation relief brand for babies which has every adult singing along to ‘Make a nappy happy’.

David Quinn is a director of Bloom

david@bloom.ie