Everyone loves Number One. We remember Charles Lindberg because he was the first to fly solo across the Atlantic, but no one remembers the second person to make the trip, Bert Hinkler. Poor Bert. He flew faster, consumed less fuel and he was a better pilot. Nevertheless, everyone remembers Lindberg because he was first, not better.

The same is true for brands. We remember Number One brands without ever giving the runner-up a second thought, and we do it without ever truly considering product quality. Gillette was the first safety razor. Tide, the first laundry detergent. And, Hewlett-Packard, the first desktop laser printer. All of these brands were first in their category, and they are all still brand leaders today.

Being Number One is powerful because people tend to stay with what they have, and the Number One brand is often the brand that got to them first. In addition, people automatically perceive brand leaders as superior products regardless of any comparative facts, so it’s actually easier to be first in a category than it is to convince potential customers that you have a better product.

"I would rather
be first in an
Iberian village
than second
in Rome." 
— Julius Caesar

But many companies are reluctant to open new categories or create new markets which would give them a chance to be first. Instead, they wait until they see a growing market. They study the products, then jump in with a superior product that touts their corporate name, thinking that the better product will win. This all sounds like a perfectly logical strategy. But this isn’t marketing reality, it’s corporate fantasy.

Unfortunately, the ‘better-product-always-wins’ fantasy is hard to shake. The owner of a Austin-based electronics business once hired me to help with his marketing. As a manufacturer of specialized electronic components, he was competing against a handful of major players in an international market and, despite actually having better products, better pricing and a lot of good intentions, his message was falling on deaf ears.

My advise was that he should be Number One, and if he couldn’t be first in the international market, then he should find a market in which he could be first. With some quick analysis, we saw that the two leading companies in his market were based in Canada. Furthermore, we learned that he was the only manufacturer of these electronics in the State of Texas, a state with huge market potential.

Presto! There was his market. Instead of being a small-time player in a huge international market where his marketing dollars were spread as thin as a politician’s promises, my friend emerged as the leading component supplier in the state. In a newly defined geographical market and products uniquely engineered to meet the needs of Texas companies, he was now Number One, and his proportionally smaller ad budget could more easily defend and grow his position.

Julius Caesar once said, “I would rather be first in an Iberian village than second in Rome.” Apparently, not only was Caesar a smart man, he must have been a consummate marketer because he understood the importance of being Number One. The Number One brand in any category has a clear advantage, and if you’re not currently the first in your category, your marketing strategy may be flawed. Perhaps you should heed Caesar’s wisdom by changing your product, your market or your focus or whatever it takes to secure a position in which you can be Number One. Hail Caesar!

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