Becoming an empowered challenger brand requires...a brand. Yeah, sounds obvious. But you’d be shocked how many people come to us for marketing thinking they already have a brand. Learn more about how Brand Positioning can help you find your north star…

NEW RELEASES! From 1-800-GOT-JUNK? to artist Ashley Longshore, dive into the playbooks of challenger brands who are disrupting industries…

At Door No. 3 we talk a lot about challenger brands and how we can help them compete. Truth is, “challenger” is as much a state of mind as it is a state of being…

Is Ace Hotel the cheapest chain in the market? No. Do they have a lucrative loyalty program? Nope. Are their amenities second to none? Nuh-uh. Then why in the world do some people love them so much? …

Quick, tell me your company’s brand positioning statement in 12 words or less. If you recited it clearly and without hesitation, stop reading this article and go pour yourself a drink. The rest of you…

When you’re a challenger brand being outspent by a category leader, every marketing dollar must be invested wisely. You have to resist the myriad of paid media channels and commit to tactics that will drive the biggest ROI…

Like a weighted elbow to a stubborn muscle knot, Challengers know where to focus their energy to achieve maximum results. Whether it’s a before-purchase social post, a point-of-sale poster or a memorable thank you email, knowing how to get (and stay) in touch with your customers is the key to building brand loyalty that lasts.

There! On the sidewalk! It’s a scooter… it’s a nuisance… it’s a Bird, and it’s the hottest transportation solution since Uber. Bird is a Santa Monica transportation startup that’s currently flying high with a $400 million valuation and thousands of users from California to DC.

What does your company exist to do? No, not the product you sell. What does your company stand for? If you can’t answer that question definitively, it’s time to think about your purpose.

Learn how Empowered Challengers sidestep adversity and snatch market share from the grips of category leaders.   

Nobody wants to be told that they are drinking their own Kool-Aid. But more often than not, that’s the case. Every brand, challenger or giant, needs to define what they do and why they do it. Brand positioning does just that.

Unless you’re fat, happy and alone at the top of your category, you’re likely battling giants of some kind. You’re a challenger. You’re forced to turn constraints into opportunities by outthinking the competition. 

The art of rejecting the masses in order to attract your most ardent fans. We all have friends that aren’t a good fit in our lives. Guess what? Your brand faces the same problem. 

From infrastructural changes to car sharing to straddling buses, challenger brands are taking a stand against transportation methods that have remained largely unchanged since Henry Ford came rattling out of his garage. 

“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little bit of extra.” When you make a powerful operational change that becomes part of your DNA, it can be the drive your team needs to try harder than their competition. 

How do empowered challengers make their brand ethos inherently sharable? Simple. By tapping into what customers of challenger brands care about most. Here are four truths challenger brands never forget when building tribes.

We’ve been thinking a lot about briefs lately. No, not the cotton variety with the stretchy waistband. There’s a misguided belief that an open-ended brief will liberate creative minds and lead to blue sky thinking.  

Information is one our most valuable commodities. It is no longer a luxury, but rather a necessity, to incorporate data into your marketing campaigns. As digital marketing grows, the amount of data available grows, too.

Crystal balls rarely work in marketing. None of us can truly forecast what’s going to happen 10 days from now. But there are eight percolating trends that are worth noting. And all indications are that they’re here to stay.