A real argument can be a powerful tool - if done right. Learn how to use a market feud tactically.
A very effective way to tell who you are and what you do is to show who you not are and what you not do. And how do you do that as effectively as possible?
By pointing to an enemy or opponent and saying "I'm not like them".
The superhero needs a supervillain. David needs a Goliath. Cinderella needs both the Troll and the asshole brothers. A marketing feud is all about setting up contrasts that best show why you're the best, without having to say "I'm the best".
And then, of course, it's about people finding conflict fun.
This is a market feud
According to the dictionary, a feud is either 1) debate, dispute, polemic or 2) war, strife. Or as we say in good Norwegian: a good old "beef".
The term "market feud" is inspired by the American expression "beef marketing", which Ryan Law of Animalz describes here.
A well-planned market feud has a number of positive effects, depending on how hard you push and what kind of enemy you conjure up:
- Clear differentiation
- Empathy and followers cheering you on
- Attention and free media coverage
Market feuds can be roughly divided into three levels (although the transitions are smooth):
- Going against the old way of doing things
- You against the grain
- The duel at sunrise
Marketing torch: There are too few tears in B2B marketing
Level 1: Going against tradition
This is where we can place 90 percent of all startups: They have a new solution that in some way challenges old ways of doing things.
In that category you will find Cutters and Oda, among others.
What they have in common is that they deliver the same as much older competitors (haircuts and groceries, respectively), but they do it in a different and more efficient way. Cutters stripped the hair salons of everything that is not strictly necessary and Oda dropped the physical store and instead delivered the goods to your home.
This position, the freshness vs. the old way of doing things, has also been an important part of the marketing of the two companies.
In 's 2023 campaign , Oda played on how stressful and chaotic it can be to shop in the store, and how much nicer it is to have the goods delivered to your home. They reinforce the one thing they do differently or better than their traditional competitors (although many of the others also have home delivery now). This is how they clearly and effectively differentiate themselves from the rest of the industry and their way of doing things, while portraying themselves as smarter and better than everyone else.
Cutters market themselves as smarter than their old-fashioned competitors, often by exaggerating what their competitors do rather than showing what they do. Like inthis commercial for always having drop-in. Again, the "newcomer vs. the old-fashioned industry" tactic allows Cutters to effectively differentiate themselves and appear smarter and more innovative than their competitors.
The key points are the effective differentiation and the ability to appear smarter and more innovative than your competitors (without having to mention any of them by name).
Level 2: You versus the big guy
This is Cinderella against the Troll, David against Goliath, Iceland in the World Cup, Frodo against Sauron. With this tactic, you make yourself the underdog and the hero in the fight against the superpower.
Are you the smallest on the market, or at least smaller than the competition? Use it!
This works because we all instinctively root for the underdog in the face of an (actual or perceived) bigger and stronger opponent.
Perhaps the most famous example of "you versus the big guy" in advertising history is Volkswagen Beetle's "Think Small" campaign from 1959. Their problem was well known: They were going into the American market where the old and familiar, especially Ford, had complete control. No one had heard of Volkswagen.
So what did they do? They fully embraced the fact that they were small. Not just in the market, but that their cars were physically smaller than the American cars. "Think Small" was about showing how they were different from everyone else. The campaign was a huge success, and many believe it changed the face of advertising.
Here in Norway, Q-meieriene vs. Tine is a good example of the David versus Goliath tactic.
For many years, Tine had a virtual monopoly in the Norwegian market. Q-meieriene has used, and continues to use, big brother Tine actively as an opponent to build sympathy for itself.
As Q-meieriene has grown, it has not stopped challenging Tine. Quite the opposite, in fact. Instead, they have taken the market feud to the next level.
Level 3: Duel at sunset
This is the juiciest category, but also the one we rarely see anyone try. Here, you're no longer a youngster challenging your big brother. Instead, you're challenging a more equal competitor to a duel.
Feel free to call your competitor by name here, and you can be both slightly rude and very rude.
A well-known example is Pepsi's Christmas ad from 2021. They borrowed the red "Coke Santa" from their biggest competitor and let him drink Pepsi in "hiding".
As Q-meieriene has grown bigger and bigger, their market feud has gone from being only at level two, to also moving into level three. The transitions are smooth, but the dynamics are different when they challenge Tine directly today than they were a few years ago. The Ice commercial where they deliver a well-aimed jab at Telia's 5G commercial is also a good example of a level 3 market feud.
In Sweden, Oatly has made fighting one of the cornerstones of its marketing. When they were sued by a number of Swedish dairies for using the slogan "It's like milk, but made for humans", they posted the entire lawsuit on their website - and spent several million kronor on running the campaign.
The Swedish milk war is also the origin of the term "beef marketing", according to Benyamin Elias.
Here he describes Oatly's market sweep well.
Incidentally, this is the level at which press reports are most often made.
It's fun to read about quarrels and conflicts, and the media know that very well.
The dilemma of market failure: When should you stop?
One of the things that makes market sweeping so effective is that relatively few people do it. Nor is it the case that the aforementioned companies just argue and only have market sweeping in their toolbox. Because the market sweep is like a jigsaw: It's very effective in the right setting, but nothing to build a whole house with.
Nor is market sweeping a tactic that can be used for too long, especially when it has been effective. When you grow big and your solution becomes the industry standard, you can't continue to be the new kid on the block, challenging the big boys or the old guys' outdated way of doing things. You'll end up like Telia...
Telia started out as Telenor's clear little brother and was firmly planted at level two. They were perfectly capable of marketing themselves as David fighting Goliath. Now, however, they have become huge and have almost half the market. Despite this, they still call themselves "Norway's biggest challenger". Telia vs. Telenor is a level 3 battle that Telia markets as level 2.
When you get big and your method goes mainstream, you need to use other tools to build your brand and position yourself.
The higher up the levels you go, the more important it is to stop in time. If you challenge competitors to a duel often and for a long time or point out that they are gaining advantages, it turns into nagging. And people get tired of that very quickly.
But if you manage to use the market feud tactically, there's a lot to gain.