4 minute read
Most geospatial brands compete on features, benefits, and technical capabilities. But category-leading brands? They compete on something much deeper—a clear, compelling message that defines the space they own.
The difference between being an option and the obvious choice isn’t just the quality of your product—it’s how well you communicate your relevance, authority, and unique perspective.
Which matters more than you think!
According to Peep Laja (via Wynter), the average SaaS buyer only seriously considers three options before making a purchase.
Three. That’s an incredibly short shortlist:
1️⃣ The market leader—the default choice.
2️⃣ The dominant challenger—the safest alternative.
3️⃣ The wild card—the brand that disrupts expectations and stands out.
If you’re not the leader or main challenger, you’re competing for one remaining spot. And if your messaging is vague, forgettable, or sounds like everyone else’s, you’re out before you even get a chance.
So how do you build messaging that puts your brand on the shortlist—or better yet, defines the category itself?
By crafting category-leading messaging—the kind that doesn’t just describe what you do but positions you as the solution for a specific kind of customer with a specific kind of problem.
The Difference Between Forgettable and Category-Leading Messaging
At the core of every great brand story is a struggle. A conflict. A villain that customers are fighting against.
And the depth of conflict you address in your messaging determines how memorable—and effective—you’ll be.
- Forgettable brands only address surface-level problems. (“We make GIS software faster.”)
- Better brands tap into external and internal conflicts. (“We help you analyze data efficiently so you can make smarter decisions.”)
- Category leaders connect to a philosophical conflict—something bigger than the product itself. (“Geography connects everything. We help organizations make better decisions by giving data the context it deserves.”)
Examples of How Category Leaders Do This
Let’s break this down with a few recognizable brands:
Apple
- Villain: Technological complexity that alienates users.
- External conflict: I want powerful, intuitive technology that enhances my life.
- Internal conflict: I feel frustrated by tech that isn’t intuitive or cohesive.
- Philosophical conflict: Technology should empower people, not create barriers.
Tesla
- Villain: Outdated, gas-guzzling cars that damage the planet.
- External conflict: I need a car.
- Internal conflict: I want to be an early adopter of the best technology.
- Philosophical conflict: Innovation should drive sustainability, not destruction.
Now let’s apply this to geospatial:
ESRI
- Villain: Disconnected, uncontextualized data leading to poor decision-making.
- External conflict: I need to leverage geographic insights for better decisions.
- Internal conflict: I feel overwhelmed by too much data and too little clarity.
- Philosophical conflict: Geography connects everything. The tools to harness it shouldn’t be limited to a few experts.
The best geospatial brands aren’t just selling software, data, or analytics. They’re tapping into why it matters on a deeper level.
How to Build Category-Leading Messaging for Your Own Brand
To get to this level of messaging depth, you need to go beyond generic customer personas and truly understand your audience—not just what they do, but what makes them tick.
Ask yourself:
- What are they struggling with on a practical level? (External conflict)
- What’s frustrating them emotionally? (Internal conflict)
- What larger injustice does this problem represent? (Philosophical conflict)
For example, let’s say your geospatial product helps urban planners optimize infrastructure projects.
- A generic message: “We provide location intelligence for urban planning.”
- A stronger message: “We help cities design data-driven infrastructure for faster, smarter development.”
- A category-leading message: “Infrastructure should serve people, not slow them down. Our geospatial solutions help cities build efficient, livable spaces with confidence.”
And Then? Make People Feel the Injustice
Here’s the mistake many brands make: they assume that incorporating a philosophical message means stating it outright.
But the best messaging doesn’t tell people what you believe—it makes them feel it.
Apple doesn’t say, “We believe technology should be simple.” They show it through seamless design and intuitive interfaces. Patagonia doesn’t (always) say, “We believe consumerism is harming the planet.” They prove it through sustainable manufacturing and activism.
In geospatial, this could mean:
- Showcasing how your tools helped communities before disaster struck (instead of just talking about predictive analytics).
- Sharing how your platform helped a city reduce congestion by 40% (instead of just listing “urban mobility solutions” as a feature).
- Demonstrating how geospatial intelligence led to smarter conservation efforts (instead of just saying “we help protect ecosystems”).
The Bottom Line
Category-leading brands don’t just explain what they do. They tap into a deeper struggle—the real battle their customers are fighting.
- If your messaging is stuck at the surface level, your brand will be forgettable.
- If you address both the external and internal conflicts, you’ll resonate.
- If you connect to a larger philosophical conflict, you’ll lead.
So ask yourself: are you just another option in the market? Or are you shaping the category?
Need help elevating your messaging up a few notches? 👉 Contact us