Challenger Brand Strategy
23 posts
Who Cares!!?
Ads. News. Social media posts. More ads. Emails. Notifications. Even more ads. Every day, we’re bombarded with a constant cacophony of information. In...
Creativity Trumps Tariffs
When tariffs go up, creativity goes on sale. When U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods hit 25%, most brands braced for impact. Bob’s Your Uncle decided to t...
Frameworks That Turn Heroes Into Kings
Bob’s Your Uncle Frameworks are strategic operating systems designed for food, beverage, and CPG challenger brands. They solve the critical challenge...
From Challenger Brands to Category Leaders: The 3 Strategic Moves
Challenger brands don’t become category leaders simply by being louder, scrappier, or more creative than the incumbents. They do it by making a small n...
Economic Empathy
Economic empathy is a marketing approach where brands acknowledge and respect the financial realities of their consumers without exploiting their hards...
The Brand Relevance Playbook
Relevance isn’t just about chasing trends. It is the disciplined practice of maintaining emotional significance in a changing world. To achieve this, ...
Behavioral Strategy for CPG Launches
Awareness doesn’t build brands. Repeat usage does. A behavioral strategy for CPG launches focuses on designing specific consumer habits rather than ju...
How Brands Respond to Cultural Backlash & Reputation Risk
In today's hyper-connected world, cultural backlash is a significant threat to brand stability. Cultural backlash occurs when a brand's messaging, acti...
The Constraint to Creativity Framework: 6 Steps to Turn Limitations into Leverage
Constraints don’t kill creativity. They force it to get sharp. Budgets. Regulations. Naming rules. Category sameness. These aren’t roadblocks—they’re ...
Brand Disconnect: A Lesson from Wendy's and Kellogg's Missteps
Brand Disconnect: A Lesson from Wendy's and Kellogg's Missteps Recent events have spotlighted a growing issue: brands losing touch with consumer reali...
When Brands Miss the Mark
When Brands Miss the Mark: A Reflection on Consumer Disconnect We’ve witnessed some startling examples of brands seemingly losing touch with consumer ...
Tariffs Are Coming—So What Are You Going to Do About It?
Tariffs Are Coming—So What Are You Going to Do About It? The proposed 25% tariffs on Canadian imports, set to take effect on February 1, are about to ...
From $10 Million to Half a Billion: The Art of Masterful Brand Building with Meiky Tollman
From $10 Million to Half a Billion: The Art of Masterful Brand Building with Meiky Tollman When I connected with Meiky Tollman, the genius behind tran...
We Can't Call it Bourbon...But You Can
Creativity Trumps Tariffs: 'We Can't Call it Bourbon, But You Can' In the world of international trade agreements, labels matter. Under the United ...
Visibility Isn’t About Noise. It’s About Conviction.
Visibility Isn’t About Noise. It’s About Conviction. Most brands don’t lose because their competitors are better. They lose because they disappear. ...
Snoop Dogg's 'Quitting Smoke' Stunt: A Leap Off the Pedestal of Trust
Snoop Dogg's 'Quitting Smoke' Stunt: A Leap Off the Pedestal of Trust Is it just me, or does Snoop Dogg's recent announcement feel like a practical jo...
Taco Bell's 'Ambitious Goal...Is to Be a Brand Bully?'
Taco Bell's 'Ambitious Goal...Is to Be a Brand Bully?' Taco Bell, in its quest to "free Taco Tuesday," has successfully pressured the last holdout, Gr...
How to Choose a Brand Strategy Agency for a High-Stakes Rebrand
Introduction A high-stakes rebrand is more than a visual refresh; it is a fundamental reset of how a company exists in the market. For CMOs and founde...
What Challenger Brands Really Need from a Branding Agency (and What They Don’t)
The Rules of Engagement Have Changed for 2026 In the current 2026 landscape, the balance of power in the consumer sector has shifted decisively. The e...
How to Spot a Truly Strategic Branding Agency in Canada (Beyond the Rankings Lists)
What Defines a Strategic Branding Agency in 2026? In the shifting landscape of 2026, a strategic branding agency is defined not by its ability to exec...
End-to-End Brand Strategy & Creative: What Challenger CPG Brands Should Expect from an Agency
In 2026, the concept of "end-to-end" brand strategy has shifted from a luxury for global giants to a survival requirement for challenger brands. As con...
Building Long-Term Brand Platforms: How Challenger Brands Escape the Campaign Treadmill
What is the "Campaign Treadmill"? For many challenger brands in the food, beverage, and CPG sectors, marketing feels like an endless sprint. You launc...
How to Choose a Branding Agency for Your Company (Especially if You’re a Challenger Brand in Canada)
If you’re reading this, you’re probably staring down a big decision. You might be about to launch into a brutally crowded category. You might be rebra...