Top Dog Versus Underdog

By Jarrett Bregler

A Brand Strategy Example Used by a Top Dog and an Underdog

Hi everyone,

In marketing, there are underdogs and top dogs in relation to brand positioning. An underdog is “…defined as a person, brand, or firm who is at a disadvantage in terms of resources and is expected to lose, yet has passion and determination to overcome these obstacles” (He et al., 2020, p. 8). Due to the limited resources available, the underdog is humble in their brand positioning approach. Passion and determination are their assets in contending with competitors in their market. By contrast, “a top dog refers to the one endowed with abundant resources, who is more likely to win the contest against competitors” (He et al., 2020, p. 11). Their abundance of resources evokes strong advantages over the underdog. In reviewing the Top 10 Business Rivalries video by WatchMojo.com, two companies stand out regarding the dynamic of the top dog and underdog. These are Energizer as the top dog and Duracell as the underdog. While close competitors, Energizer’s brand positioning has more consistently earned it a higher market share than Duracell. “It has successfully taken advantage of being a pioneering brand and has been innovative in its branding position through its messaging” (Wilson, 2024). With Energizer, its predominant brand strategy has entailed the product branding strategy. This is a “…type of branding strategy that aims to create a recognizable brand for a specific product” (Bozigian, 2024). In this instance, the product is as recognizable as the company. “The stronger the strategy, the more the brand stands out” (Kiely, 2023). The brand’s development is distinctive as this quality ensures strong brand positioning and a resonating marketing strategy. “The purest form of brand marketing is a standalone product” (Kiely, 2023) which Energizer has achieved through their high energy bunny character. This visual immediately denotes this energy which correlates with the product’s intention of the provision of long-lasting battery life. With Duracell, the brand strategy is more of a service branding one. This is a type of “…branding strategy used by companies to emphasize the benefit that the service provides the consumers” (Bozigian, 2024). This is evident from the visuals in which the top of the battery slams down on the rest of the battery for dramatic effect and to illuminate the product’s strength in its service provision. It is also demonstrated through its use in an occupation requiring night goggles in its commercial. “This involves the process of enforcing the company’s image by creating a service that will generate buzz and sets it apart from competitors” (Aziz, 2024). Given the history of the Energizer company and its market dominance for decades, Duracell has been astute in focusing on the product usage outcome to demonstrate why it is a contender in this industry. In addition, with the Energizer Bunny, there is also some corporate branding in its brand positioning execution. The company has created a marketing icon and persona “…to connect with consumers on an emotional level” (Bozigian, 2024). This elicits a compelling sense of nostalgia that links the consumers to the brand. This elucidates that there isn’t a one-size-fits all approach to eliciting consumer resonance with brand positioning and marketing. Sometimes it may be more effective to incorporate an overriding strategy and add key elements of others to solidify the consumer engagement, loyalty, and retention being sought after by the competing companies.

Three Recommendations for the Underdog to Improve Its Strategy

The underdog can improve its strategy so that it can attain more market share and surpass the top dog in three pertinent ways. To capitalize on the underdog effect, underdogs should utilize “…emotion to appeal to their target audience” (Kyamko, 2024). The underdog story compels consumers and incites their passion for wanting the underdog to win. One way to appeal to their target audience is to “…tell the brand’s story on social media” (Kyamko, 2024). Content marketing is an effective tool in brand positioning. It communicates the values of the company and its brands which aligns with consumer preferences and thereby elicits a connection with the audience. If the content is aligned with the lifestyle wants and preferences, the product is differentiated from others in the market and increases brand desirably. This sets the company apart from the competitors. In an oversaturated market, this approach imparts a consumer focus, and potential consumers feel invested in as a buyer as opposed to the focus solely being on the act of selling something to them. Another aspect of this strategy involves sharing content relative to the people behind the brand. This can be aligned with personalization which is a strategy that works well with all target audiences. By sharing a glimpse into who the people are that make the company and the products, consumers can feel a more intimate connection to the company and the brand. This approach is not typically imparted by the top dog, and this can achieve a level of success that does not involve significant resources to accomplish it. Essentially, it involves selling the people behind the brand as the resource to the consumer. 

A second strategy involves building and evolving brand relevancy. Relevancy is a value aligned with many target audiences, but is most notably correlated with younger consumers. Relevancy elucidates that “…a brand is evolving and always striving to remain fresh and innovative” (Kyamko, 2024). What many top dogs do is to allow their brand to become stale as they are relying on their success to sustain them. With brand positioning, it is imperative for “…market leaders to rebrand from time to time” (Kyamko, 2024). It involves external factors such as the application of visual elements. Evolving a brand’s visuals evokes a sense of freshness and demonstrates an investment in the evolution of the business. It elicits a sense of wonder on the part of consumers regarding what the company is doing in its progression. Target audiences align with companies that are always evolving and looking for new ways to interact with consumers. Thus, “…building a fresh brand identity for the company shows that it understands its target audience” (Kyamko, 2024). Visuals are a prioritized form of communication with consumers. By evolving “…the logo, website, and social media posts, it can strengthen the brand” (Kyamko, 2024). This demonstration of relevancy builds increased brand equity. This is important not only in connecting with consumers, but also with being able to surpass the top dogs through the associated ability to charge prices that are higher for products and services. Amplified revenue generation is a pertinent necessity for underdogs and by reinventing the visual presentation and communications, the target audience will echo this investment through one of their own by investing in the company and its brands.

A third strategy encompasses the provision of a better consumer experience. “Customers want companies to listen to their concerns and needs” (Kyamko, 2024). Hence, it is important for the company to create and sustain a compelling experience throughout the customer journey. This aids the underdog in its pursuit of more market share as it “…reinforces brand quality and value with the goal of achieving customer satisfaction and loyalty” (Hult, 2023). A strong customer experience equates with amplified business growth. “By consistently delivering high-quality products, excellent customer support, and seamless experiences at every touchpoint, the underdog can cultivate a consumer base that remains loyal over time” (Kovach, 2024). This strategy aligns with the ability to gradually increase and expand market share. “This directly relates to an above-average customer lifetime value” (Kovach, 2024). Target audiences that are satisfied make repeat purchases. They remain engaged with a company and pursue product upgrades. They tell their friends and family. They remain loyal. This strategy for brand positioning equates with the delivery of remarkable experiences. In addition to expanding market share, the company will enjoy improved customer retention as well as reduced churn. Combined, all of these strategies take effort more than resources which is why they are so effective for the underdog. They represent a consumer-centric approach that makes consumers feel important and connected to the company rather than enduring the perception of just being another number with the top dogs.

Some Consumers Prefer the Top Dog

Even with all of these efforts, there will still be some consumers that prefer the top dog to the underdog. A significant reason involves discernment of their market dominance. This elucidates “…the perception of an elevated level of success” (Kovach, 2024). Many consumers identify themselves with the brands that they interact with and thus, if a company is a top dog with a plethora of resources, it causes the consumers to have a higher perception of themselves as consumers. Essentially, the elevated status of the company and its brand make consumers subscribe to the notion that they are elevated in status as well. Consumers “…like to feel important and the top dog’s promotion of their own importance and market domination creates a domino effect” (Li et al., 2020, p. 55). Another reason involves confirmation bias. Confirmation bias “…reinforces perceptions that the stereotype of market dominance is equaled to actual market dominance” (Li et al., 2020, p. 57). This perpetuated identity becomes construed as part of the consumer’s identity. Hence, the consumer “…looks for evidence to support their expectations” (Babin & Harris, 2021, p. 308). The company then parlays this process into promoting this attribute which is inconsequential to the buyer journey but reinforces company and brand loyalty as well as retention. A further reason for their preference involves the processing of the top dog’s wealth of resources. This equates with “…a sense of brand superiority in brand positioning for some consumers” (Li et al., 2020, p. 58). The consumers believe that their connection to this superiority evokes a more superior experience for them in their relationship with the company. Much of this alignment is correlated with psychological factors. They are motivated in their consumer-to-business relationship by this belief. A further reason encompasses social dominance. “Social dominance is linked with brand dominance for some consumers” (Li et al., 2020, p 68). There is a desire with consumers to retain or exceed the status quo and hence, they align themselves with top dogs that evoke that sense of superiority. Top dogs, with their significant resources, implement marketing and advertising strategies that are comparative in nature that creates a strong emotional connection to the company and elicits a feeling of luxury and superiority that consumers believe becomes part of their narrative. Thus, an interconnection occurs that results in an amplified brand positioning corresponding to perceived preferences and ultimately, brand loyalty.  

My Preference Is…

While my consumer buying habits and preferences encompass both top dogs and underdogs, my consistency of choice is correlated with the underdog. I am an ardent supporter of small businesses and investing in advancing their brand positioning in their markets. There is less of a corporate feel to the company and brand engagement. There is more of an interpersonal relationship in communications. It feels as if these companies care about me while trying to sell me their products. Moreover, it feels like they are invested in my experience with their engagement, and this evokes a sense of credibility for me. Concurrently, they often seem to uphold consumer loyalty practices in their relationship marketing that is synonymous with my approach to consumerism. They often partake in the provision of discounts and coupons to retain my investment in them. My consumer behavior consistently denotes an appreciation for companies that choose to invest in me as a consumer. There is additionally an appreciation for the feeling of informality in the exchange. It is more personalized and connective in nature as are their marketing efforts. Further, accessibility is also another value in this dynamic. It feels easier to be able to connect with a salesperson to get questions responded to and their recommendations for other products often feels more authentic to my buying experiences as opposed to the more global approach instituted by top dogs. Buying behavior and purchasing preferences are an integral part of the customer journey. It’s important to understand oneself in the process to be able to comprehend how and why you are being interacted with by companies. It’s additionally vital to comprehend what works well for you as a consumer and what is most synonymous with your own behavior in order to attain customer satisfaction.

Hope you have enjoyed gleaning more about top dogs and underdogs and why it is so important in your own consumer behavior to understand your preferences in relation to each. Please stay tuned for a new blog coming your way soon where we discuss being green for profit or being green for the environment.