Avoid the brand valley

Thinking about branding for your early-stage startup?

Consider this:

Anything between these two extremes may end up in a brand valley that says “we tried, but didn’t do the best job.”

“We didn’t try at all.”

This power move says “our product/service is where we spend our time. Our brand follows the customer experience, not the other way around.”

Think: LangChain (literally two emojis as their logo) and Benchmark’s website.

“We’re the category leader.”

When brand plays a large role in trust and differentiation, be the leader in your category. Stripe, Linear, Airbnb, and Vacation Inc are among many companies that come to mind.