Category Design Tip: Don’t Fight Over Existing Demand, Create Net-New Demand
If your reference is the competition, you’re done before you’ve begun.
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Dear Friend, Subscriber, and Category Pirate,
This week’s Category Design Tip is about removing yourself from the race to the bottom.
Most businesses fight for demand.
They walk into existing markets saying, “We do the thing the already established Category Queen does, just better/faster/smarter/stronger/cheaper.”
These people are not Pirates.
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Pirates Don’t Fight Over Existing Demand—They Create Net-New Demand
In business, the unquestioned rationale is: demand exists. And if our business can tap into that existing demand, we will find customers—and customers lead to profits.
But what is “demand” really about?
Demand is fighting over scarce resources. Land. Oil. Gold. Water. It’s a scarcity mindset played out.
And the reality is, only idiots fight over scarce resources.
Think about it: Apple stores are not jammed with customers because “demand for technology retail is on the rise.” If that was true, Microsoft Stores would be jammed too. Demand does not just happen.
It gets created.