This week, we get into why staying in your lane is one of the most dangerous things you can do right now, whether you’re a person, a brand, or building something. Niching down was always suspect advice and is now actively something you might not want to be doing. And, how the brands that are winning are looking out rather than looking sideways at their competitors.

It’s a fun one.

Enjoy!

Hit the links to skip to the bits you fancy

00:59 — DON’T STAY IN YOUR LANE // Why you shouldn’t always niche down. Especially right now.

01:36 — THE CAREER CASE // “You can do all of the things and do them well. Don’t let anybody put you in a corner.”

04:50 — BREAKING THE MOULD ON PURPOSE // RISD had an entire semester built around getting out of your silo. It was formative.

07:22 — DANGEROUS ADVICE // “The minute I stopped listening to somebody else’s opinion and listened to my own, things got better.”

10:33 — YOUR CONSUMER DOESN’T LIVE IN YOUR CATEGORY // “There is not one consumer who operates in your category solely. Not one.” So why do brands keep acting like they do?

15:01 — THE BEGINNER’S MINDSET // Why wellness, pet, and DTC brands all look the same. Being an outsider can be an advantage.

18:01 — THE BRANDS DOING IT RIGHT // Southwest. Gap. Othership. The ones winning are thinking bigger than their competitor set.

21:28 — THE GANNI CONTRACT // Ganni had one great store. Then they replicated it exactly. Over and over. “You are no longer fulfilling the contract of ‘experimental’ that I signed up for.”

33:37 — LAKE OR WELL? // Lakes go vast with pockets of enormous depth. Wells go very narrow, very deep. The ones who will struggle are the ones in the middle. Chris and Kirsten: lakes. Time to ponder your water status.

39:28 — YESSING YOU TO DEATH // Beware of the yes cycle.

43:00 — THE NON-NICHE NICHE // “I wrote the letter I wanted to receive.” GOOD THINKING as a case study. The connections between things is the niche, not the things.

48:14 — WHY SALONE IS WORKING // Salone went from tradeshow to showcasing the experiential side of your brand. Consumers are desperate to see a different side of the brands they love. Staying in your lane means missing that entirely.

ABOUT

Chris and Kirsten are the founders of IN GOOD CO, a consultancy that ignites challenger brands with fearless and proactive positioning.

Chris writes a weekly newsletter for +17K subscribers that shares the best-of-the-best on culture, trends, marketing, etc. What she's dropping to friends on Slack or finding useful in meetings with brands | Follow her on Substack

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