Stop Trying to Be Everything: The Power of the Marketing 'Edge'
We’ve heard it before: Jack of all trades, master of none.
And yet we continue to see companies and leaders burning themselves out trying to be good at everything. They're chasing every shiny new marketing trend, spreading their budgets thin across a dozen different initiatives, and wondering why nothing seems to stick. Sound familiar?
Well, we've got some news that might surprise you – or, at the very least, offer some rationale and relief. Our latest research shows that the most successful companies aren't the ones doing everything well – they’re the ones making the hard choices to prioritize (and ultimately win at) one (or a few) area(s).
The Black Glass Edge Index
We built a dataset of over 300 top marketers, spanning industries and geographies, to understand the ingredients that drive marketing performance.
We broke the analysis into three major categories – Financial Efficiency, Marketing Capability, and Organizational Alignment – and further broke each of those categories into nine core capabilities that span industries.
Would you rather be a 6 out of 10 at ten different things, or a perfect 10 at one thing that really matters?
When we dug into the data, the results were pretty eye-opening. Companies that master their marketing "edge" – that one thing they do better than anyone else – are 94% more likely to hit the top quartile in their industry. We're talking about 8-25% higher growth rates compared to companies that try to be decent at everything.
We get it. When your competitor launches a flashy campaign or starts investing heavily in influencer marketing, your first instinct is to match them. But here's the thing: that reactive approach is exactly what keeps most companies stuck in mediocrity.
When you're constantly playing catch-up, your team gets stretched thin, your initiatives don't get the resources they need to actually succeed, and you lose sight of what made customers choose you in the first place.
The companies dominating their markets aren't doing so by being slightly above average at everything – they’re creating insurmountable advantages in the areas their customers actually care about most.
Let's talk about some brands that figured this out.
Take the classic marketing case study of Patagonia. They could've competed on price, comfort, or fashion trends. Instead, they doubled down on environmental activism, and now their customers don't just buy their products. They become brand evangelists who'll defend Patagonia in online arguments.
Or what about Southwest Airlines who built their entire edge around operational efficiency and cost leadership. They said no to luxury amenities, international routes, and assigned seating, and instead perfected one model that let them offer consistently low fares while staying profitable.
So. How do you build focus in a world that pushes the need to be "omni-channel" and the "full funnel” for (just wait)…brand AND performance?
This work will require some real, honest conversations – with your customers, your team, and yourself. We’ve put together a simple to follow way to drive this home for you:
- Rediscover your org’s north star – What makes you different?
- Map your capability ecosystem – Where are the gaps in your current capabilities?
- Pilot, energize, iterate, and repeat – Where can you start to create the greatest momentum?
- Subtract unnecessary focus areas and structures – What can you stop doing?
- Adapt systems to reinforce the right behavior – How can you tweak rituals, incentives, and ways of working to keep people on track?
The brands that will own tomorrow's markets are being built today through disciplined focus on singular excellence.
When you commit fully to your edge, something magical happens. You create this reinforcing cycle where success builds on success. Your team gets energized because they're working for a company that's genuinely the best at something meaningful. Recruiting becomes easier. Daily decisions become clearer because everyone knows what you stand for. Win win win.
Download the latest Black Glass Index today.
Stop Trying To Be Everything: The Power of Having an "Edge"
Read the latest Black Glass Edge Index
Download for Free
