Marketing Meetup: Outthinking the Competition - Lessons from the Most Powerful Brands

Drawing on the latest evidence from marketing effectiveness and our Brand Divergence Index (BDI), this session reveals what actually underpins brand power. Using thousands of brand-level data points, Richard will show that the strongest brands are built on two fundamentals: distinctive difference that cuts through the category, and attraction that pulls demand, not just scale or spend.

The data is clear: brands that look and behave like their competitors struggle to grow, while those that deliberately diverge, even in crowded or low-growth categories, are far more likely to win attention and commercial momentum. In the holiday sector, for example, Jet2holidays stands out as a clear divergent brand, where it leads on liking, recommendation and distinctiveness, while maintaining that edge over time.

Through practical examples and proprietary BDI analysis, this talk demonstrates how brands can identify where they are over-investing, where they are invisible, and where smarter strategic choices allow them to outthink the category rather than outspend it, even when the odds aren’t stacked in their favour.