Disruptive brands: don’t be too cool for school (A tongue-in-cheek message)

You had the idea no one else thought of, the one that made so much sense in retrospect. The thing consumers didn’t realise they wanted because the big boys had taught them not to expect it. You got there first, broke new ground, flipped the category on its head, changed the parameters, reframed the solution space, took out the middleman, empowered the user, etc.

And now, here you are, flying: rave reviews, word of mouth, exponential growth, scale and opportunity. 

THIS is precisely the moment disruptive brands are prone to taking their eye off the ball, falling into three common traps:

Insufficient focus: not prioritising resources on the opportunities with most potential

Brash expansion: assuming the recipe for success in one market can be replicated in another where conditions are different

Losing sight of what matters: not staying close enough to customers and the broader community of stakeholders and regulators

These are traps of course, that lie in wait for any brand – and yet for disruptive ones buoyed by early success and unaccustomed to needing to ‘listen’, arguably the stakes are higher and the risks greater.

Truly great disruptive brands recognise when they are entering 'phase two'. This is when a much more strategic approach to growth is needed based on deep foundational understanding of the customers and needs you serve and context in which you operate. You may have got this far without spending much on formal insight, but don’t discount its potential to influence your future survival and growth – and to shine a light on the opportunities that are most ripe to pursue.

In other words, don’t be too cool for school!