Through mobile, desktop, streaming platforms, and digital out-of-home ad placement, today’s consumer continuously gets bombarded with messages from every industry. Becoming a breakthrough brand is a difficult task to take on. However, it is not impossible if you follow the right steps.

Bold Vision

A bold vision takes time to become a reality. Speed and innovation are not synonyms for each other. It is essential to make sure you know which direction your brand is heading so that you can steer it away from potential instability. Meaning, if you are making mistakes with your branding for a potentially innovative brand, moving too fast will cost you. Your vision must be bold but wise. Too many potential breakthrough brands have been on their way to remarkable status only to fall flat due to rapid growth and fast burnout. The singularity of vision is essential when building a brand. Brands that have a philanthropic arm to their mission speak to consumers. It’s easy to be motivated by profits and shareholder stakes. However, it takes dedication and a little more work to build a brand that has a humanitarian center to their philosophy.

Mobile First Thinking

The most comfortable place to reach the consumer is now on mobile. You used to be able to get away with a robust mobile app or platform that was a second thought, however now you must optimize for mobile initially. Consumers require convenience to fall in love with a brand. Breakthrough Brands have made their mobile apps their number one priority. One workout apparel brand is an excellent example of a breakthrough brand that focuses on mobile first in their business plan. With over 367,000 downloads and a 76% activation rate, this workout apparel brand is a prime example of how to focus on mobile first. They have also made their mobile site completely responsive and almost identical to the app, making online shopping even more straightforward for those who don’t want to commit to an app. One footwear brand that was an early adaptor of Apple Pay streamlined the checkout process from fifteen steps to two. The brand is also focusing on the facial recognition technology of the iPhone 10 to make checkout that much more straightforward.

New Marketing

To be a breakthrough brand, you need to break through to your audience. That means retreating from traditional strategies of marketing. Marketing materials for breakthrough brands are strategic in messaging, copy, imagery, and circulation. A razor subscription service company went viral with their launch video that took you through their warehouse and poked fun at annoyances every shaver deals with when shaving. This brand took a boring topic and made it original and entertaining, grabbing their audience and also finding them on YouTube. The humor and originality made the video go viral, which made the brand reach a billion-dollar valuation.

Disrupt or Die

If you don’t disrupt the industry, then you won’t become a breakthrough brand. Brands that have broken the growth barrier, as well as breakthrough brands that are redefining industries, show us that it does not take a ton of capital to innovate or cause disruption. A targeted audience and strategic marketing plan are the things you need to start finding success. Learn from these innovative breakthrough brands so that you, yourself, can become the next brand that everyone is talking about.