Positioned for Upsets
March 11, 2008
While watching the #1 North Carolina Tarhills fend off the #6 Duke Blue Devils this weekend in college basketball I got to thinking about the ranking system. Teams work so hard to get to #1. They train all off-season to prepare. They work hard throughout the season. Never give-up. Take one competitor at a time. And slowly rise to the top if they continue to do those things. And win of course.
But once they get to the top they are the easiest target for an upset. And all of a sudden … now that you’re #1 in the world at what you do … you have people rooting for you to screw up and fall apart. They can’t believe that hard work and talent can get you that far. It must be luck.
Is it like that in business? Do people root for Under Armor a little bit more because they know Nike is the 800lb beast? Does that local coffee shop get a little more business then Starbucks just because they’re #2 or #3?
Or do companies fall under pressure like many #1 teams? Do they like being #2 or #3 because it means they can sit back and coast a little bit more? Do companies get tired and beat up as the #1 seed for weeks, months, years? Do business like to remain the underdog?
Just like with sports, building a good brand requires a lot of work. It’s a constant day-to-day grind. You have to always improve. Take each day as a new day that requires your full attention. And remember the reasons why you want to be at the top. Hopefully is has something to do with creating a Heroic Brand. Otherwise it’s going to be a hard battle and you will lose lots of people in the process.
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