Why? Because people go for what they perceive is best, not what actually is. Marketing is about perceptions, not products. This is why being first in a customer’s mind almost always means being perceived as the best.
As pioneers like Coca-Cola, Colgate, and Ford Motor demonstrated, being first gives your brand a powerful advantage. Brands like Band-Aid, Kleenex, and Google dominate their categories simply because they got there first.
If you’re not first in your category, find a new one. Create a niche where you can lead. Tesla, for example, didn’t aim to be the best automaker; it became the first in the electric car category, propelling it to unprecedented success.
The takeaway? To dominate your market, you must own a category. If you’re not first, redefine the playing field to make yourself the leader.
