Brand Challenge
Nobody can tell you apart from the competition
When something works, others copy it. That’s not new. But somewhere along the way, your whole category started sounding the same, same claims, same tone, same three colours on every website.
Your customer can’t tell you apart from the business next door, and that is costing you more than you realise.
The problem
Why your category sounds like one company on repeat
Saturated B2B markets follow a predictable pattern. One business finds language that resonates. Everyone else borrows it. Within a couple of years, the whole sector reads like a variation on the same theme.
The result is a category where every sales deck uses the same language, and any brand could swap colours with a competitor, and nobody would notice.
That sameness isn’t safe. It is a positioning problem disguised as a design problem.
How to spot if you're blending in
There is rarely a single moment when a brand becomes outdated. It is more gradual than that. But there are patterns worth recognising.
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The solution
What does good look like?
The instinct in a crowded market is to shout louder. Bolder claims, brighter colours, more frequent posting. None of that works if the substance underneath is still identical to everyone else’s.
Standing out starts with finding the white space competitors have left empty. That means understanding exactly what every other player in the category is already saying, then deliberately building somewhere else.
The work starts with asking the right questions – the ones that brand strategy and visual identity design need to solve.
The questions we start every project with…
What does the whole category sound the same about?
What can only this business credibly claim?
Where is the white space nobody else has taken?
What the work looks like in practice
Not every business starts from the same place.
Some have a genuine point of difference that has simply never been said out loud. Sharpening the message and building distinctive assets around it is enough.
Others have slipped so far into category convention that nothing about the current brand or its positioning is actually theirs to defend. That calls for a fuller repositioning.
Either way, once a brand owns territory nobody else can credibly claim, competitors stop being a threat to react to.
Work that closed the gap
Rebrand: Setfords
Unlocking people power to beat copycats
Setfords pioneered the UK’s new-law model. Then the imitators arrived.
We repositioned the brand around its real differentiator: its people. The “For people, by people” platform became the foundation for a new visual and verbal identity that spoke authentically to both the lawyers who work there and the clients who hire them.
A human brand in a sector that had forgotten how to be one.
Included in The Sunday Times 100 Britain’s fastest-growing private companies
12% increase in new business enquiries
200k+ impressions on adverts created with the new brand
Our new brand positioning and visual identity allow us to tell a story that elevates us above the competition.
Setfords Solicitors
Rebrand: Delta
Expressing expertise for a diversity champion
DEI is full of bland, interchangeable brands. Delta needed to be the opposite.
Led by renowned business psychologist Dr Doyin Atewologun, Delta advises global C-Suite leaders. Their brand had to reflect that credibility. We built a strategy-led identity using bold illustration to express complex themes that photography simply cannot, paired with a refined wordmark and contemporary palette.
The result: a brand with the clarity and authority to match the expertise behind it.
The new brand gives us greater clarity and coherence, and reinforces Delta’s position as an expert advisor to our global C-Suite audience.
Delta
Rebrand: Lloyd's Maritime Academy
Navigating a rebrand for a sector leader
Fifty years of reputation. A marketplace that had never been more crowded.
Lloyd’s Maritime Academy needed to stand out in a sector of blue brands – where every competitor looked the same, while staying true to the institutional prestige that made them credible in the first place.
We refreshed the identity with a modern palette and visual language that respected their heritage while speaking directly to a younger, more diverse workforce seeking a smarter way to build a career at sea.
Distinctive. Trusted. Built to last another fifty years.
The new brand builds on our heritage, positioning LMA as the expert education partner completely aligned with the needs of a changing industry.
Informa
Typical investment
Every business is different, so our support is always tailored.
While we create bespoke proposals for each client, here’s a top-level framework of the services most often requested.
Not sure what you need? Get in touch, and we’ll help you.
Competitive audit
We map your category, identify what every competitor is already saying, and pinpoint the white space you can credibly own. The thinking that has to happen before anything else.
What’s included?
- Audience research
- Insights workshop
- Competitor brand audit
- Category messaging analysis
- Distinctive asset review
- White space and opportunity report
Brand repositioning
Everything from the audit, plus the strategic and creative work to own the territory you have identified.
What’s included?
Everything from the competitive audit, plus:
- Brand strategy
- Positioning platform
- Key messages and Tone of Voice
- Visual and verbal identity
- Brand guidelines and key asset rollout
Full activation
For businesses ready to build distinctiveness into every part of how they show up.
What’s included?
Everything from the repositioning, plus:
- Sales and marketing activation toolkit
- Brand strength testing
- Internal launch activities
- Full IP checks and registration
- Ongoing brand guardianship
- Brand into digital product or website
Relevant articles and tools
Brand performance checklist
5 branding myths everyone needs to know
Does creating a strong visual identity matter?
How a traditional brand can stay ahead
How we can help
Learn more about our B2P approach
Let’s talk about your business.
Discover how our Business to People approach can unlock new relevance, resonance and results for your B2B brand. Reach out to book a session with Vicki, our founder.
FAQ
How to Stand Out From Your Competitors
We’ve gathered the most common questions people ask about this topic and answered them clearly and simply below. Hopefully you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for.
Why do so many brands in the same sector end up looking alike?
Because imitation feels safer than differentiation. Businesses watch competitors, assume what’s working must be right, and quietly mirror their look and language. The result is a sector where everyone blends together and nobody actually wins, since sameness dilutes impact rather than building trust.
What actually makes a brand distinctive rather than just different?
Distinctiveness has to be anchored in something real, not just a bolder logo or a louder tagline. A strategy, visual identity and tone of voice that are consistently lived out, and rooted in a genuine point of difference, are what build recognition and loyalty over time. Standout without substance rarely lasts.
Can a brand stand out in a heavily regulated or technical sector?
Yes, and it’s often where the opportunity is biggest. Sectors like DEI advisory or professional services are frequently full of cliché and blandness, which makes genuine distinctiveness more noticeable, not less. Nalla’s work with Delta, a DEI advisor to the C-suite, shows how a clear, human identity can cut through in a category that usually defaults to sameness.
How do you build a distinctive brand without losing trust or credibility?
By grounding distinctiveness in strategy first, design second. Standing out for the sake of it can undermine credibility, but standing out because you’ve clearly defined what makes you different and expressed that consistently builds recognition and trust at the same time.