10/ First, the platform always wins. If you rely disproportionately on digital platforms at any point in the purchasing funnel, it’s important to realize that your ability to reach consumers depends on a black-box algorithm.
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11/ Secondly, not all consumer categories are created equal. Some are less prone to algorithmic disruption than others. In some categories, brand will remain important for years to come. More attractive categories for brand-building include:
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12/ a) Categories where look and feel and emotion matters just as much, or more, as the underlying function. No one will ever say to Alexa, “Buy a smartphone” because they care too much about the intangibles of look and feel.
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13/ Many women are happy to pay an extra $30 for a Dior mascara even though there’s widely known drugstore dupes, simply because of how it makes them feel.
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14/ b) Categories where people’s taste is hyper-unique and specific. Food is a literal example of this: there’s actually preferences at the chemical level. Being a Pittsburgh native, I will only eat Heinz ketchup because it actually tastes better than other brands!
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15/ c) Categories where brand is closely tied to a sense of identity. Strong brands can create a language for self-expression, where having their product feels like gaining membership in a club.
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16/ I’d wager that ridesharing and AVs will be more disruptive to lower/mid-tier car manufacturers where the product is viewed as a utility, vs. luxury brands where ownership is just as much a signal of personal identity.
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17/ Outside of the core product, there’s also a universe of other factors that can serve to shore up brand defensibility--for instance, the content and community that build user loyalty and foster an emotional connection. Or, a unique shopping experience that serves as a draw.
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18/ And removing yourself from the algorithm entirely can also work, if you can get enough leverage. Existing outside of aggregators like Amazon, and creating a standalone presence for your brand online and offline is a sure way to own the end customer relationship and mindshare.
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19/ Overall, the winner in this shifting power balance between aggregators and brands is the consumer. We’re lucky that instead of spending time & energy sifting through products, or relying on brands as shortcuts, we now have access to services that do the hard work for us.
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Ew no. As access to products becomes algorithmified, I have to either deal with recommenders that have no sense of aesthetic or quality and that standardize the search (and in doing so rid me of my competitive search advantages), or diy in a landscape geared to algorithms.
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