Doing the Opposite: Outsmarting Big Brands to Disrupt the Industry
Insights from Delbert, a seasoned marketing leader in consumer brands, now at the helm of a global dating app.
A couple of months back, I had the privilege of sharing my experience with the marketing team of a fast-growing startup.
One thing that stood out as I reflected on my experience so far is how I’ve been both the “David” and the “Goliath” in my career.
Starting at a multinational consumer goods corporation, I had the opportunity of managing its biggest brands—the proverbial “Goliath.”
Since then, I’ve been on team “David,” moving from a small local telco to a global dating app.
I can’t help but think how appropriate the sequence of my experience has been in helping me compete better as a “David.”
When competing with the “Goliath,” you can be sure of a few things:
You can be sure they have a team as smart as yours, if not smarter.
You can be sure they have as many people as you, if not more.
You can be sure they have more money than you, way more.
With all that, how does one compete with the big players?
Just do the opposite.
Do “dumb” things. Do things they’d consider to be dumb or bad ideas.
Like buying a billboard, putting someone else’s brand name on it, and vandalising it without telling anyone it was you.
Like acquiring users to your app only to redirect them to another app because they’re not “serious.”
Do things that scale so that one person can do the work of two, three, or five.
Like continuously auditing the team’s hours to eliminate meetings and automate menial work.
Like contracting out work that doesn’t fit a strategic core competency.
Don’t compete on money. Compete on focus. Make sure you’re doing a better job in the areas where you’re competing.
Like focusing on just one channel, such as Instagram, instead of running a holistic marketing campaign.
Like relying solely on user-generated content for creative production.
When in doubt, do the opposite.
About Delbert
Delbert is a brand creator and marketing leader with over 15 years of proven experience in building businesses. He learned the fundamentals of FMCG at P&G, then jumped into a zero-to-one role at a telco startup, and is now scaling an online dating business globally. His expertise lies in strategy, P&L management, brand development, and growth.
