Brand Relevance: Making Competitors Irrelevant

Epilogue: THE YIN AND YANG OF THE RELEVANCE BATTLE

It ain't over till it's over.

—Yogi Berra

The market dynamics and strategic options discussed in this book need to be placed in perspective. There is a yin and yang connected to the battle to create or maintain brand relevance and to make competitors irrelevant. The downside as well as the upside of a relevance driven strategy should be on the table.

It is true that creating new categories and subcategories often involves a huge payoff. Competition without competitors or with reduced or weakened competitors is a lot more profitable than fighting a brand preference war and, in addition, is a lot more pleasant. Even if the period of enjoying a hospitable competitive arena is limited, it may still create ...