Over the past several months, I’ve written extensively about how categories help buyers (consumers and business decision makers) make sense of an increasingly complicated marketplace. When we, as buyers, see something new we try to place it in a category already established in our head so that we can figure out whether or not we have any interest in it.
So, what do you do when your product doesn’t really fit in any existing category? You must create a new category. This is hard; it can be expensive; and it requires a commitment to invest for years in establishing the category and your company’s leadership in the category. But the payoffs can be significant.
A couple of months ago I described how to go about defining the category. Over the coming weeks, starting with the article linked below, I will describe how to establish and own the category.
Establishing the category culminates in the official launch of the category, often with some kind of launch event. This is sometimes called the “lightning strike” that suddenly, brilliantly, and impactfully makes the world aware of the new category.
Owning the category builds off of that category launch and continues for many years. I like to think of this phase as a “rolling thunder” campaign where “thunder claps” continue to repeat the story behind the original “lightning strike.” Each of these “thunder claps” remind the world that there is a new category, further embedding it in their minds, and even extend it in new and exciting ways. Most importantly, by investing in this “rolling thunder” campaign your company firmly establishes its position as the creator, leader, and owner of the category. When people think of the category, they think of your company first.
These two phases are very complementary and both are structured around a compelling story that completely changes how potential customers think. Before hearing the compelling story they did things the old way using the old categories of products. After hearing the compelling story their eyes are opened to how the world has so clearly changed and they now need to operate differently using a new category of products.