What first thought comes to mind when you read ‘ COMPETITION’?
Is it ‘threat’? Is it ‘I must win it’? Or is it ‘Oh no! What will I do’?
The marketing world is cut-throat. Everyone wants to be spot on, engage the largest market share, become a household name (if that’s what’s needed), and whatnot! In an environment like this, we are conditioned to view competition as a threat, be it as an individual or as a brand. A small dig from our competitors often works us up. And we view it as a force that can hinder our growth and success.
But what if we changed our lenses and started to view it as an opportunity?
Competitors as powerful catalysts for:
- Innovation
- Creativity
- Extraordinary marketing campaigns
And mind you, brands in the past have done it, and how! The constant battle to be at the top has given birth to some of the best marketing ideas and tactics of the time. In fact, we believe that if the brand war didn’t exist, these ideas would perhaps never have seen the light of day!
In this blog, we are going to talk about changing our perspectives. We will see what happens when you treat competition as an opportunity and learn from the best brand wars so far!
Let’s start!
Brand Wars – Catalysts for Growth
Brand wars have not only shaped industries but also captivated audiences worldwide. Now, it takes 5 to 7 impressions for individuals to remember a brand. And needless to say, a witty, creative brand war can speed up the process. And one of the most popular examples in today’s time for a brand war? The Zomato-Blink It war (stay with us because we will break this down for you!)
Now you may wonder: How do these brand wars make a difference? Don’t they negatively impact the audience’s perception?
Here’s the answer!
1. Compel You to Innovate
Brands have to innovate and set themselves apart from the competition to survive. The heat of competition drives innovation by pushing companies to come up with fresh ways to wow their consumers.
Result?
Brands may realize their full potential and turn challenges into opportunities! They constantly refine their offerings, improve customer experiences, and provide top-notch service. As a result, customers benefit from better products, personalized experiences, and increased satisfaction.
2. Showcase Marketing Excellence
Brands in a fierce battle for our attention have no choice but to bring their A-game and come up with mind-blowing marketing tactics. It’s like a never-ending game of one-upmanship where they constantly try to outdo each other in the most creative ways possible, resulting in unrivaled marketing brilliance, whether it takes the form of engaging storytelling, viral social media campaigns, or eye-catching commercials.
These campaigns captivate audiences, create buzz, and make brands shine brighter than a supernova! They grab everyone’s attention, leaving them curious about how the other brand will act—will they react, or will they choose to respond?
Take, for example, the iconic BMW–Audi war from 2007. In order to promote the 35th BMW MOA Rally, BMW placed a billboard in Santa Monica, California, that read, “A BMW Rally with two nearby service centers. What’s next, paramedics at a chess tournament?”
Note the chess reference here. Now, to take some advantage of the buzz created by this rally, Audi bought a nearby billboard and featured their latest launch, the Audi A4, with the following caption – “Chess? No thanks, I’d rather be driving.”
Cheeky, isn’t it? But it didn’t stop there. A couple of days later, Audi replaced it with another billboard that read, “Your move, BMW.”
Of course, people anticipated how BMW would respond to this provocation. And they didn’t disappoint. BMW put up a billboard 3x times larger than Audi’s and featured the BMW 3 Series with the caption ‘Checkmate’ (Chess reference alert!). But Audi wasn’t going to give up either. They responded with a billboard featuring an Audi R8, captioned, “Your pawn is no match for our king.”
Now here’s BMW’s masterstroke. BMW put up a blimp featuring BMW’s F1 racing car and the words “Game Over.”
The real question: What did the brands gain? Both brands saw this as an opportunity to market their latest cars and show why they are better than the rest. Moreover, it increased brand visibility, which may have led to an increase in market share.
But before you think about doing something like this, read this: Indian advertising does not allow you to use your competitor’s names directly. So while you may still compete, don’t say the name.
What’s a better way here, you may ask? Well, here it is!
McDonald’s vs. Burger King! Two fast food chains that apparently have the same primary offerings!
The rivalry between the two is an ongoing affair. But the good part? They have kept their fight pretty clean, with just a few jabs here and there. One significant campaign was the Moldy Whopper campaign, featuring signature items covered in green and blue growth, promoting the removal of artificial preservatives. Now, we do have some legends of McDonald’s unnatural life span for a couple of its items, and this ad seemed like a jab at that (indirectly, of course).
Youtube link: https://youtu.be/P4x2EK-Zi5E
3. Talk to a Larger Audience
Your competitors share the same target audience as you do. But are all those individuals loyal to you? No. Every brand has its own share of the market. Brand wars give you a chance to talk to your competitor’s audiences. And what if you end up saying something that hits hard, and they jump ship or become your customers as well? It could literally be anything at this point—your brand’s personality, way of communicating, customer service, etc.
Take the Zomato-Blink It marketing strategy. In an attempt to grab the audience’s attention, Blink It and Zomato collaborated on a meme post. They posted a photo featuring two artistic billboards that took a Bollywood dialogue and turned it on its head.
This meme spread like wildfire—quite literally—as other brands took the opportunity to add their own USPs to the billboards. Here’s how Netflix responded:
By taking up the opportunity for wordplay in viral banter, brands not only introduced their services to a much larger audience but also increased their visibility on social media. This was essentially great momentum for growing brands that became part of this viral campaign and came into the spotlight.
That’s All For Now!
Throughout history, brand wars have shaped industries and left an indelible mark on the marketing landscape. By embracing the power of brand wars, companies can unleash their full potential, foster innovation, and captivate audiences with remarkable marketing campaigns.
We at StartInc, believe that instead of fearing competition, brands should welcome it as a catalyst for growth, customer-centricity, and unparalleled success. And if you are a startup that aligns with this and is searching for a consultancy that understands, cares, and helps you grow with unique ideas, you are at the right place!
With innovative experiential marketing activations for your brand, digital content, branding campaigns, and more, we are here to make your life easy and your business better!
