Innovation
Products (and derived brands) that fulfill needs unmet by the market have longer runways for growth.
"Operating in uncontested market space is far more profitable than competing for a share of an existing market, per the Blue Ocean Strategy.
"While easy businesses like direct-to-consumer brands face intense competition and commoditization, hard businesses in complex or regulated industries have higher barriers to entry and more durable competitive advantages" — The Good Thing About Hard Things
'"New news" generally excites retail partners and makes them more likely to stock' — Jan-Benedict Steenkamp
"Look for opportunities for joint value creation vs. value transfer... Putting unlikely industries together potentially develops new business models" — Tom Roach
"Most product innovation does increase effectiveness, but minor innovation does not... The more radical the innovation, the bigger the boost to effectiveness" — Effectiveness in Context
"Innovation is more about gaining customers, increasing volume and gaining market share. Increasing prices and margins tends to come later" — Effectiveness in Context
"The more radical the innovation is, the more the budget needs to be skewed towards brand, not activation" — Effectiveness in Context