What actually makes customers choose your business over a cheaper competitor?

For many SMEs, the answer is unclear because their messaging sounds exactly the same as everyone else in the market. In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent is joined by brand strategist Giles Etherington to unpack why so many businesses fall into the trap of competing on rational features and services instead of emotional connection and customer transformation.

Drawing on experience from global agencies including JWT, Giles shares a practical framework for building a brand strategy that helps scaleup businesses stand out, increase trust, and avoid the race to the bottom on price.

This conversation is packed with actionable advice for founders and leadership teams who want their brand to become a strategic growth asset rather than simply a logo or visual identity.

In this episode:

Why competing on services alone pushes SMEs into price wars
The difference between "brand" and "branding" and why it matters
How emotional positioning influences customer buying decisions
The role trust plays in high consideration purchases
Why most values workshops fail to create a meaningful brand
The step by step process Giles uses to uncover a company's Brand DNA
How customer interviews reveal emotional drivers founders often miss
Why AI currently creates "average" brands rather than distinctive ones
How expert-led positioning creates clearer messaging and stronger differentiation
The importance of understanding customer transformation, not just customer problems

Key Takeaways

Brand is emotional, not rational

Most SMEs describe themselves through services, products, or technical capability. The challenge is that competitors often say exactly the same thing. Giles explains why customers make decisions emotionally first and rationally second, and how founders can position their business around trust, transformation, and emotional outcomes.

Branding is not the same as brand

A logo, colour palette, and website are branding assets. A brand is the emotional perception customers hold about your business. Without strategic clarity first, visual branding alone rarely creates differentiation.

Customer insight should drive strategy

Instead of relying on internal assumptions, Giles advocates direct customer research and interviews to uncover the emotional concerns and aspirations driving buying behaviour.

AI supports expertise but does not replace strategy

AI can speed up execution and support ideation, but it lacks the nuance, emotional understanding, and strategic judgement needed to build distinctive positioning.

Giles Etherington's Brand Strategy Framework

Giles shares the structured process he uses to help SMEs clarify and strengthen their market position:

Deep strategic questionnaire
Independent customer research and interviews
Collaborative workshop to challenge assumptions
Development of a Brand DNA Blueprint
Messaging aligned to customer emotion and transformation
Branding execution built on strategic foundations

One standout message from the episode

"Businesses that compete on rational services alone end up in a race to the bottom. The brands that scale are the ones customers emotionally connect with."

The one key thing

The one key thing scaleup leaders should take away from this episode is this:

Customers rarely buy purely because of what you do. They buy because of how you make them feel, the confidence you create, and the transformation they believe you can deliver.

Scaling up your business isn't easy, and can be a little daunting. Let ScaleUp Radio make it a little easier for you. With guests who have been where you are now, and can offer their thoughts and advice on several aspects of business. ScaleUp Radio is the business podcast you've been waiting for.

If you would like to be a guest on ScaleUp Radio, please click here:

https://bizsmarts.co.uk/scaleupradio/kevin

You can get in touch with Kevin here:

kevin@biz-smart.co.uk

Most founders I speak to feel busy but stuck; plenty happening, but not always clear on what genuinely matters most this quarter. If that sounds familiar, the G90 Summit is worth a look. It's a structured half-day session where we help founders identify the three to five priorities that genuinely matter over the next 90 days and build the systems to deliver them. Quarterly, virtual, and £97 a seat. You can find out more at http://Smart90.co.uk/summit .

Giles can be found here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilesetherington/

Resources:

MEDIA

Simon Sinnick Ted Talk "Find Your Why"

https://youtube.com/watch?v=iFkCMeEhs0Y

APPS

Otter

Chat GPT