Duality

Now that we have established who your competition/enemies are, we can begin to build your brand identity. You have a narrow focus–green. This is good.

We must now turn our attention towards how we can position you uniquely in the category of green architecture in Bozeman. After all, it is not BETTER who wins, but the LEADER. There is a place for number two (and, in some areas, three, four, or more) to still be profitable.

If you are not the leader, however, then you must be positioned in accordance with the leader. Pepsi's position was (and still is) determined by Coke. Everything, from their identity down to their color scheme, comes in stark realization of, and contrast to, Coke. Coke represented "the real thing." They had been around since 1886. Pepsi then positioned themselves as the "young" drink. They proclaimed themselves to be the "Pepsi Generation."

It was not until the advent of said campaign that Pepsi began to make a dent in Coke’s market share. Throughout the 70’s, heavily advertised blind taste tests “proved” that Pepsi tasted better than Coke. “So?” came the response of a bored nation.

As a category matures, it becomes a two-brand affair, with lots of bottom feeders gnawing on scraps. In keeping with the Coke and Pepsi analogy, the two brands own 95% of the cola market.

Sun Tzu wrote, in the famous Art of War, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not your enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

A lot of brands are competing for the coveted top spots in the green category in Bozeman. Only a select few will be true leaders. How you are positioned will be determined by their positions. Whether or not you were first to the market (which is what, up to this point, we have promoted) is not as important as if you are first into the mind. Are you first in the mind in your category, green architecture in Bozeman?

Be not dismayed, however. There is plenty to go around. This trend towards green will not always be such a boom, however.

In the early stages of the green category, there will be many brands. Sales are increasing, and new, unsophisticated customers are coming into the market. Often times, they don’t know who the leaders are, and brands that look interesting or attractive get the nod. Sometimes, these interesting and attractive brands are the number three and four brands.

As time progresses, consumers will want the leading brand, because they assume that the leader is better. This thinking, while not necessarily correct, is the driving force behind why winners stay on top and losers fall away.

Who is the true leader in green in Bozeman? Who is number two? Where does V2 fit in the green category–honestly?