Startups are stepping up to rethink markets, break old rules and counter established players. They are faster, closer to the target group, bolder in their communication and clearer in their attitude. In short: they have bite.
But this bite is surprisingly often lost when it would be particularly important: on the way to scale-up. The brand that once wanted to be different becomes a brand that sounds like everyone else. The website becomes slicker, the campaigns more careful, the messages more interchangeable. What remains is communication without friction that no one remembers.
Many young brands behave as if they had to defend market shares that they don’t yet have. They adapt out of fear of scaring off potential customers or irritating investors. But if you don’t stand out in a saturated market, you won’t even get noticed.
Courage is not a stylistic device, but rather a lever for growth
Challenger brands compete with companies that have increased awareness, established sales structures and significantly larger media budgets. Anyone who tries to work in this environment with the same messages, aesthetics and caution as the market leaders is just playing their game with fewer resources.
But startups need to be understood more quickly, recognized more clearly and more strongly associated with an attitude. This is not achieved through the broadest, most harmless messages possible, but rather through exaggeration.
This does not mean artificially loud or provocative. Disruptive communication begins with the question: What does everyone in our market actually do the same? And what happens if we consciously do the opposite?
In many industries there are unspoken rules of communication. Everyone talks about security, efficiency or shows the same claims and promises. This is convenient for established providers and an opportunity for challenger brands. Because if you recognize where the market has become boring, you will often find the best point of attack there.
Attitude is not a risk if it fits the brand
A strong challenger brand needs a clear position. This means taking a stance on topics that are really relevant to the product, market and target group.
For example, if you work in an industry characterized by a lack of transparency, you can make radical clarity the core of your brand. Anyone who competes against complicated processes can also demonstrate simplicity in language, campaigns and product communication. Anyone who addresses a young target group should not sound like a corporate report.
Attitude becomes effective when it is concrete. “We are different” is not enough. Different in what? What market logic does the brand oppose? What behavior from established providers does she reject? What perspective does it bring that has been missing so far?
Startups must systematically search for their disruptive potential. What codes do all competitors use? Which promises are repeated? Which target groups are being overlooked? Which topics are avoided?
Relevance beats reach
Especially with smaller budgets, the temptation is to buy as much range as possible. But broad visibility does not automatically mean effective visibility. Instead, it often makes more sense to address narrower target groups with greater relevance rather than reaching as many people as possible with generic messages.
But it’s not just the targeting that’s important, but the message. Even the best algorithm cannot generate relevance if the content remains irrelevant. The budget should therefore not only be distributed based on the lowest click prices. It should focus on building a recognizable position. Sometimes this means consciously occupying niches in which the brand can credibly disrupt.
Startups don’t have to immediately overtake the big guys. You have to reach the right people, create a clear picture in your mind and gain market share step by step.
The bite has to grow with you
The greater danger for startups is often that they adapt too early. That they sand off their edges before the market even notices them.
Of course, if you want to scale, you have to structure and professionalize yourself to some extent. But this must not lead to every bold idea disappearing in the voting process. A brand can grow up without becoming boring. She can communicate more efficiently without losing her poise. And she can grow without adopting the rules of those she competes against.
Because in the end, the brand that offends the least doesn’t win. But the one that is clear enough to be remembered.
About the author
Hans Ratzmann is the founder and managing director of the digital marketing consultancy quiteBOLD. With many years of experience in strategic marketing consulting and performance marketing, he supports marketing decision-makers in using budgets more efficiently and scaling them measurably. To do this, he deliberately breaks with classic agency structures and relies on a remote-first culture, maximum personal responsibility and a radically transparent compensation model. Customers include well-known brands such as Takko Fashion, KFC and specialized brands such as Men of Mayhem.
Startup jobs: Looking for a new challenge? In ours Job exchange You will find job advertisements from startups and companies.
