Your biggest competitor might not be your competitor at all. In this episode, Amy unpacks the idea of the brand arena — the market, category, and cultural “neighborhood” where your brand competes and connects. And, just like in real life, where you think you live and where people place you aren’t always the same thing.

Drawing from a surprisingly relevant gin rummy story, Amy explains why so many brands misjudge their competitive set and why understanding your arena is foundational to building an authentic, aspirational, and actionable brand.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why your true competitors might not be the obvious ones
• How your “neighborhood” is shaped by factors you can’t control (like SEO, search habits, cultural context, and word of mouth)
• How behavioral economics and choice architecture give you back control within your arena
• Why distinctiveness — not superiority — is what drives recognition and recall
• How brands accidentally fall into the “sea of sameness”
• Practical examples of choosing your arena for robotics clubs, nonprofits, and energy drinks
• How brand perception shapes indirect competitors and alternatives
• A simple exercise to identify what makes your brand meaningfully different

Key Insight

Defining your arena isn’t about standing out first, it’s about being placed where your audience expects to find you. Then, within that arena, distinctiveness helps you rise above the noise.

Brand Hack

Make a list of the things your company does well. Then look up three competitors and identify what they claim to do well. Cross out anything that overlaps. What’s left is your starting point for differentiation.

Mentioned Concepts

• Choice architecture (how people categorize their options)
• Brand arenas vs. positioning
• Direct vs. indirect competition
• Distinctiveness over “better-ness” in brand recall
• Consumer psychology and mental categories

Because brand isn’t a 4-letter word — it’s your best strategy and your strongest story. Learn more at BrandIsNotAFourLetterWord.com, where strategy and storytelling meet design.