Why Category Designers Must Avoid The “Better” Trap At All Costs
How to avoid competing for only 24% of the value opportunity of a category.
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Dear Friend, Subscriber, and Category Pirate,
This Category Design Tip shares how to stop competing for a category’s table scraps.
On the Pirate Ship, we call this The “Better” Trap. Companies, entrepreneurs, writers, creators, and marketers fall into this trap any time they compete on features, price, and “brand.” This comparison marketing drives down margins collectively and competitors are stuck fighting for one tiny sliver of the pie.
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“Better” is a trap.
Anytime a company makes a comparison statement, they are falling into the “better” trap.
Words that end in -er and “most/more-than” statements imply comparison. Because in order for something to be fast-er or smart-er or cheap-er, something else has to exist to give it meaning.
Here are some easy-to-spot examples: