How to Build a Brand That Stands Out in a Crowded Market
Struggling to stand out in a saturated space? Learn how to differentiate your brand and make it unforgettable—even when everyone else is shouting.
Why Blending In Is the Fastest Way to Be Forgotten
Today’s marketplace is louder, faster, and more crowded than ever.
New brands launch daily. Social feeds are flooded with ads. Consumers are overwhelmed by choice—and that’s exactly why being different is your superpower.
🚀 89% of consumers say they’re loyal to brands that offer something unique
🚀 Standing out boosts brand recall, engagement, and price tolerance
🚀 Brands with strong positioning grow 2–3x faster than competitors
Think about Oatly, Tesla, or Liquid Death—they carved out radical identities in otherwise dull or traditional markets.
They weren’t the first. But they were the boldest, and that’s why they win.
1. What It Really Means to Stand Out as a Brand
Standing out isn’t about being weird for the sake of it.
It’s about being strategically different in a way that resonates with your ideal customer.
✔️ Different = relevant, bold, and unforgettable
✔️ Different ≠ gimmicky, noisy, or random
✔️ It means people know what you stand for before they even buy from you
📌 Example:
Liquid Death took plain bottled water and built a brand that feels like an energy drink—unexpected, memorable, and viral.
💡 Pro Tip: If no one can describe your brand in a sentence, you’re not different enough.
2. The 5 Smartest Ways to Stand Out in a Saturated Market
✅ 1. Claim a Bold, Unique Positioning
🔹 What makes you different, not just better?
🔹 Choose a clear message that polarizes a little and magnetizes a lot.
📌 Example:
Oatly positioned itself not just as oat milk—but as the rebellious, sustainable alt-milk with an attitude.
💡 Pro Tip: Trying to appeal to everyone will make you invisible to everyone.
✅ 2. Build a Brand Personality That’s Anything but Boring
🔹 Ditch the corporate tone. Be human, witty, bold, quirky—whatever fits your vibe.
🔹 Use consistent voice across your website, emails, and socials.
📌 Example:
Cards Against Humanity built a brand that’s irreverent, unapologetic, and proudly controversial—instantly recognizable.
💡 Pro Tip: Voice is your signature. Don’t sound like everyone else.
✅ 3. Focus on a Niche, Not the Masses
🔹 Own a specific audience, problem, or belief.
🔹 Become known for solving that one thing better than anyone else.
📌 Example:
Fenty Beauty launched with a mission to offer foundation shades for every skin tone—a clear gap in the market.
💡 Pro Tip: Go deep, not wide. Niche is where trust and loyalty grow.
✅ 4. Create Visual Branding That Stops the Scroll
🔹 Your colors, typography, and layout should instantly signal who you are.
🔹 Use contrast and creativity to break visual patterns in your space.
📌 Example:
Glossier’s soft pink and minimalist aesthetic stands out in a beauty industry full of glam and glitter.
💡 Pro Tip: If your branding looks like your competitor’s… it’s not branding.
✅ 5. Tell a Story Only You Can Tell
🔹 Stories build emotion and memory.
🔹 Share why your brand exists, who you’re fighting for, and the journey behind it.
📌 Example:
Ben & Jerry’s has always stood for social causes and uses storytelling to connect deeper than just taste.
💡 Pro Tip: Your story is your edge—share it, shape it, and live it.
3. How to Differentiate Your Brand (Step-by-Step Guide)
✅ Step 1: Identify the “Zig” While Everyone Else “Zags”
✔️ Look at your industry—what’s expected?
✔️ Now flip it. Find a way to do or say the opposite (if it aligns with your values).
📌 Example:
Tushy rebranded bidets with humor and minimalism—a total contrast to the sterile tone of bathroom products.
💡 Pro Tip: Opposition creates attention—lean into contrast.
✅ Step 2: Define a One-Sentence Brand Promise
✔️ What do you do, for whom, and how is it different?
✔️ Keep it short, clear, and powerful.
📌 Example:
Slack: “Be less busy.”
Dollar Shave Club: “A great shave for a few bucks a month.”
💡 Pro Tip: Your promise should spark a reaction or curiosity.
✅ Step 3: Choose a Bold Positioning Angle
✔️ Are you the rebel, the minimalist, the underdog, the innovator?
✔️ Choose a personality that stands out and fits your audience’s identity.
📌 Example:
Drunk Elephant is a skincare brand that’s clean, colorful, and science-backed—breaking away from clinical competitors.
💡 Pro Tip: People buy from brands that reflect who they are—or who they want to be.
✅ Step 4: Align Everything to Your Difference
✔️ Your website, ads, content, and packaging must express the same core identity.
✔️ Make your difference obvious and loud—don’t hide it.
📌 Example:
Chubbies sells shorts—and everything about them screams fun, weekend, bros, and freedom.
💡 Pro Tip: If your brand feels generic, people won’t remember it.
✅ Step 5: Be Consistent (Even When It’s Tempting Not To Be)
✔️ Stick to your tone, look, and values—even when trends shift.
✔️ Reinforce your brand at every single customer touchpoint.
📌 Example:
Harley-Davidson has kept its freedom-loving, rebellious brand spirit for decades—even as styles and tech evolved.
💡 Pro Tip: Consistency is what turns brand awareness into brand love.
4. How to Know If Your Brand Is Truly Standing Out
📊 Brand Recall – Can people describe your brand after seeing it once?
📊 Social Engagement – Are you sparking conversations and reactions?
📊 Word of Mouth – Are people sharing your brand without being asked?
📊 Customer Conversion Rates – Are new visitors turning into buyers faster?
📌 Example:
Basecamp’s contrarian positioning in the tech space helped them grow without big ads—just a strong POV and clear differentiation.
💡 Pro Tip: If customers say “you’re different,” you’re winning.
Want to Create a Brand That Shines in Any Market? Get the Ultimate Guide!
Standing out isn’t a luxury—it’s survival. If you want to rise above the noise, attract your ideal audience, and build a brand that gets noticed and remembered, you need a blueprint.
📖 Get my eBook: Brands That Sell: Effective Strategies for Creating and Strengthening Brand Identities
Inside, you’ll find step-by-step branding strategies, real-life examples, and expert advice to help you build a unique, bold, and unforgettable brand—no matter how crowded your niche is.
🚀 Stop blending in. Start breaking through!