There’s all the time a brand new rule companies are instructed to comply with: Be on this platform. Sound like this model. Transfer sooner. Refresh every part.
Ignore the rule, and also you danger wanting outdated. Observe it too intently, and also you danger dropping your core model.
Most corporations don’t get the selection. They react. They regulate. They chase viral subjects. Over time, the model begins to really feel scattered.
A handful of corporations, nonetheless, appear unusually unaffected by the noise.
Apple, Duolingo and Lego function in several industries, serve totally different audiences and use totally different instruments. But they share a sample in how they develop, make choices and reply to strain.
The Hidden Price of Pattern Chasing
Pattern-driven advertising and marketing appears to be like good within the quick time period as a result of it alerts relevance, buys consideration and spikes engagement, nevertheless it creates fragmentation.
In line with a 2023 report from Deloitte, corporations that continuously shift model technique wrestle extra with buyer belief and inner alignment than these with a clearly outlined long-term imaginative and prescient. “When every part is pressing, nothing is strategic,” branding skilled Marty Neumeier has stated.
Apple, Duolingo and Lego have taken that concept significantly.
Apple: Innovation With out Identification Drift
Apple is usually seen as a trendsetter, however internally, the corporate operates with excessive self-discipline.
In an interview, Apple CEO Tim Cook dinner stated the corporate is “not concerned about being first” however in being “the very best.” That mindset explains why Apple ignores short-lived tech fads whereas refining a decent ecosystem of merchandise.
Regardless of getting into new classes like wearables and providers, Apple’s core model promise hasn’t modified: intuitive design, privacy-forward expertise and seamless person expertise.
💡Innovation doesn’t require reinvention; it requires restraint.
Duolingo: A Character With Function
Duolingo’s owl is without doubt one of the most recognizable model mascots on social media.
CEO Luis von Ahn defined in an interview that Duolingo’s advertising and marketing works as a result of it aligns with the product’s mission—making training accessible and interesting.
Duolingo surpassed 83 million month-to-month lively customers in 2024, with income up 44% yr over yr, in keeping with its shareholder report.
💡A robust model voice works when it helps a transparent worth proposition.
Lego: Much less Is Extra
Lego is without doubt one of the most studied turnaround tales in trendy enterprise. After near-bankruptcy within the early 2000s, the corporate rebuilt by narrowing its focus.
In line with a 2020 Harvard Enterprise College case examine, former CEO Jørgen Vig Knudstorp shared that the corporate stopped asking, “What else can we make?” and began asking, “What do youngsters really want from us?”
That shift led to fewer product strains, stronger storytelling and deeper buyer loyalty.
The technique labored and Lego reported over $9 billion in gross sales in 2023 and “document income and working revenue” in 2024.
💡Development accelerates when technique is simplified.
The Aggressive Benefit
These manufacturers share three habits leaders can apply straight away:
1. Defend model consistency
Robust manufacturers don’t reinvent their message each quarter. They evolve inside clear boundaries.
2. Put prospects first, not algorithms
Platform developments change. Buyer wants don’t. These corporations optimize for belief, not consideration spikes.
3. Lead with long-term pondering
Quick-term wins are evaluated by way of a long-term lens. If a pattern doesn’t serve the mission, it’s ignored. As advertising and marketing scholar Byron Sharp has famous, consistency is without doubt one of the strongest drivers of name progress.
The neatest transfer leaders could make is deciding what to not chase.
Apple, Duolingo and Lego present that when a model is obvious on who it serves and why it exists, progress naturally follows.
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