Picture walking into a hall where every person is dressed in the same gray suit, eyes down, voices subdued. You glance around, searching for a spark—any sign of life or originality. And you wonder: Who gets noticed in a sea of sameness?
We are wired to fit in. To merge quietly, to play by the rules defined by everyone else. In a marketplace brimming with sameness, safety feels comfortable. But ordinary never gets talked about, never spreads, never makes the difference.
The brands that matter, the brands that endure and spark loyalty, are the ones that chose to zig when everyone zagged.
The Core Paradox
Fitting in is safe. It’s rewarded by short-term comfort and the soothing embrace of consensus. But the safety net is a trap—a net that catches dreams, not fish.
If you want to be remembered, you must risk being remarkable. You can’t blend into the wallpaper and expect the world to take notice. Standing out means making a choice, even when it leaves you feeling exposed.
“The safest thing you can do is to be risky. The riskiest thing you can do is play it safe.”
—Seth Godin
Why We Blend In
It’s easy to understand why most brands choose sameness.
- Fear of Failure: If I’m just like the others, I can avoid criticism. No one blames the herd for heading in the wrong direction.
- The Illusion of Best Practices: “Proven” processes, industry benchmarks, competitive analysis—they’re all signals from others showing how to fit in, not how to break free.
- Desire for Acceptance: Being part of the club feels good, even when the membership means mediocrity.
When was the last time you raved to a friend about a truly forgettable experience? Ordinary doesn’t get referrals. Average doesn’t become legendary.
The Cost of Sameness
Sameness feels like a warm blanket. Until you notice no one sees you at all.
- Invisible Brands: If your story is no different, your customer’s brain skips right past. You become another commodity, easily replaced and rarely missed.
- Competing on Price, Not Value: Without distinction, you’re forced into a race to the bottom—lower margins, higher churn, endless hustle.
- Missed Opportunities: Playing safe keeps you from creating the thing people actually want to talk about, share, or even love.
The world already has plenty of gray suits. Most brands are invisible because they work so hard not to stand out.
The Opportunity of Standing Out
Here’s where the paradox flips: People crave what’s remarkable.
“Remarkable” means worth making a remark about. If you’re not being talked about, you’re being ignored.
Think of the little bakery on a busy block that dares to dye its cupcakes blue, inspired by customer stories. Of the online shoe retailer that offers free returns for a year, against all logic. Or of the toothpaste brand that decides to create flavors for grown-ups—licorice, cinnamon, lavender.
These aren’t best practices. They are deviations from the boring curve. They are invitations to connection, conversation, and loyalty.
Nobody knows what’s going to work. But we know what’s already failed: playing it safe.
Addressing Fear (and Permission)
Blending in is the natural reflex. No one wants to be the zebra standing apart from the herd’s protection. But what is the herd protecting you from? Criticism? Attention? Or your own potential?
You don’t need permission from the industry, your peers, or even your current customers. The permission is already yours—but only if you’re willing to take it.
- Ship something risky.
- Tell a story only you could write.
- Ask: Would anyone notice if you disappeared?
You can’t lead from the middle of the herd. Real leadership starts where the path veers into the unknown.
Practical Ways to Embrace Distinction
Remarkable isn’t a switch to flip. It’s a practice, a discipline, a way of approaching branding every single day.
Here’s how to start:
1. Find Your Purple Cow
- What is truly different about what you offer? Not just “better,” but different.
- If your competitor can claim it, it isn’t your purple cow.
- Push past safe adjectives (“quality,” “affordable”) and describe what only you provide.
2. Tell a Story Worth Retelling
- People don’t remember features. They remember stories.
- Tell an origin story with a twist, a customer journey that defied expectations, or a mistake that sparked innovation.
- Make your audience the hero.
3. Repel as Much as You Attract
- If your brand tries to please everyone, it will thrill no one.
- Stand for something. Be willing for some people to walk away.
- The most loyal fans are the ones who feel like the brand was made just for them.
4. Obsess Over Experience, Not Just Messaging
- The true test of a brand is not the billboard or the website—it’s the feeling customers take with them.
- Surprise, delight, be human.
- Show up where your competitors never would—social channels, support desks, your packaging, your generosity.
5. Invite Your Tribe to Participate
- Remarkable brands are co-created with their audiences.
- Ask your customers for input, celebrate their stories, let them share in your wins (and losses).
- The community you build is more resilient and valuable than any single product.
Closing Challenge: Who Would Tell Your Story?
Being remarkable is rare—by definition. The paradox persists: blending in feels safe but offers none of the long-term returns of being unforgettable.
So, ask yourself (and your team):
- Who would retell our story if we disappeared tomorrow?
- Are we safe or are we remarkable?
The brands that win in 2025 will not be the ones with the snappiest ad copy, but the ones whose very existence starts conversations, changes expectations, and invites loyalty.
You have enough evidence, enough “how-tos,” and enough reasons to risk difference. The only thing left to do is act.
Don’t wait for permission. You already have it.
Who will remember you—the one who blended in, or the one who dared to stand out?
