The Tie Goes To The Existing Brand

Playing pickup baseball growing up one of the most heard phrases was, "Tie goes to the runner."  It was as if the phrase was whispered by the doctors into the ears of every newborn boy.  Without the benefit of umpires we would start yelling this incantation even before reaching the bag to ward off a tag.

I modified the phrase when I entered the realm of marketing to be, "Tie goes to the existing brand."  That one hasn't quite caught on, but it should.  And I'll keep telling clients when their concept is built solely on siphoning business from an existing brand that, "tie goes to the existing brand."

I had a client who opened a location less than 100 yards from a national competitor and chose to use a name very close to that competitor's name.  Despite heavy advertising, the store never met expected sales and we eventually changed the name.

For a more high profile example, I submit the following:

I saw an ad for BOBS.  The shoes look like this.

I get it, a comfy, casual shoe with the socially positive benefit.  That sounds like a fantastic idea... so great that TOMS has been doing it for several years.  

Skechers is a big company... 100 times larger than TOMS.  It seems that Skechers could do better than just ripping off a business model and a design.  Aside from the "dirty pool" aspects of the big guy steeling the little guy's home work, there is a real marketing reason not to lift the design and business model directly.  TOMS has made a big enough splash that Skechers is actually advertising for TOMS.  I see BOBS... I think TOMS.  Score one more impression for TOMS.  Since the price of the shoes is similar, there is no compelling reason for the consumer to consider BOBS apart from TOMS.  The tie goes to the existing brand!

At least Skechers could charge less for the shoes or have a different philathropic twist or slap a picture of Brooke Burke on the advertising.