Lauren Tracy

I am not the expert here. But as someone who has been studying brands and companies her whole life for fun I find that with companies that sell things that other companies do too, the most impactful thing is to create a really memorable brand. If possible an 'identity brand'. This may be a made-up term and may not apply to pure commodity companies, but it basically means that people personally identify with (or really want to) what vibe you are giving off --so they become attached to it. Nike might be the best example of this in the world. People can get shoes anywhere. But most Nike shoes sold are only a bit different in design than others. Their brand is what carries them at the end of the day. A smaller, newer one I love (and am a sucker for) is Billie the razor company. They are a riff of the Dollar Shave Club model with a razor brand for women who don't want to be told to shave. It's ironic and genius.