The Fear of Being Remarkable
Every brand leader claims they want their company to stand out. Yet when confronted with the choices required to become truly remarkable, fear sets in.
Fear of alienating some customers.
Fear of disrupting the industry status quo.
Fear of being copied, criticized, or misunderstood.
Fear of taking risks that may not pay off.
This hesitation is what keeps many brands in the comfort zone of being good or great but never remarkable.
1. What Is Remarkability?
Remarkability is not about being better than the competition. It’s about being meaningfully different in a way that sparks conversation.
Good brands meet expectations.
Great brands exceed expectations.
Remarkable brands break expectations and give people stories worth retelling.
Remarkability is what fuels authentic word of mouth, but it requires courage.
2. Why Brands Fear Remarkability
a. Fear of Polarization
To be remarkable, you must stand for something. Leaders fear alienating segments of the market by being “too bold.” Yet neutrality is forgettable.
b. Fear of Losing Control
Remarkable brands invite customers and employees to advocate freely. Many leaders resist this because advocacy feels unpredictable.
c. Fear of Failure
Innovating beyond category norms requires risk. Playing safe feels easier than risking a bold move that doesn’t land.
d. Fear of Vulnerability
To be remarkable, brands must show authenticity; flaws, values, convictions. Vulnerability feels risky in a world obsessed with control.
3. The Cost of Playing It Safe
Brands that avoid remarkability often:
Compete endlessly on Points of Superiority (“we’re better”) rather than true Points of Differentiation.
Get trapped in category sameness where every competitor sounds the same.
Earn respect but not advocacy. Customers admire them but don’t talk about them.
Playing safe doesn’t prevent failure. It prevents talkability.
4. Overcoming the Fear
1. Reason to Care
Anchor bold moves in customer values. If your differentiation matters deeply, risk becomes relevance.
2. Reason to Share
Design talkable experiences that make customers look smart, inspired, or proud when they share them.
3. Courage to Share
Model courage as leaders. If your brand stands firm, employees and customers will feel safer advocating.
4. Permission to Share
Empower employees and customers to tell your story in their own voice. When advocacy is celebrated, fear diminishes.
5. Case Examples
Patagonia – Fearlessly tied its brand to environmental activism, knowing it would alienate some but win fierce advocacy from many more.
Tesla – Broke auto-industry norms (no dealerships, over-the-air updates) at the risk of ridicule; today, it dominates the narrative.
Ben & Jerry’s – Uses ice cream as a platform for social activism; polarizing for some, unforgettable for all.
These brands faced fear but leaned into it and remarkability followed.
6. Key Questions for Leaders
Ask yourself:
Are we more afraid of being remarkable than of being ignored?
What conversations do we want customers to have when we’re not in the room?
What risks are we avoiding that could make us unforgettable?
The greatest risk is not in daring to be remarkable; it’s in settling for being safe, admired, or “better than average.”
Fear keeps brands good. Courage makes them remarkable.
The choice is clear: You can play not to lose or you can play to be remembered.
About GDJ Brands
GDJ Brands helps visionary founders and business leaders get the most out of their brands by taking a holistic, tailored, ground-up approach to brand-building. Its founder, Gary De Jesus, excels in Brand Development and Marketing, uniquely incorporating principles of Biological and Cognitive Sciences, and Psychology to build strong brands that customers will advocate for and fulfill founders' visions. His goal is to make dreams come true.