The risk of being ‘pretty good’: Why some brands fail to stand out

In a world overflowing with brands vying for attention, being ‘pretty good’ is a dangerous place to be. Sure, it feels safe. Your product works, your customers seem satisfied, and your marketing is… fine.

But here’s the truth: brands that settle for ‘good enough’ often become forgettable. The most successful brands aren’t just adequate — they’re distinctive, and they don’t rest on their laurels. They create experiences, stories, and value propositions that demand attention and inspire loyalty.

And on the flip side, brands that fail to stand out — despite having decent products — often struggle with relevance and long-term growth.

Let’s take a closer look at three well-known brands that fell into this trap and what we can learn from them.

Ted Baker: When style isn’t enough

Once the darling of British high street fashion, Ted Baker was known for its quirky, sophisticated style and strong brand personality. But over time, the brand’s identity began to blur. The clothes were still stylish, but they stopped being distinctive. In a market flooded with brands like Zara and ASOS offering trend-led fashion at lower prices, Ted Baker’s higher price points became hard to justify.

The brand also suffered from overexpansion — opening too many stores without strengthening its digital presence — and failed to adapt to changing consumer behaviours. By the time it tried to catch up, competitors had already captured the market with more innovative and accessible models. Combine this with pandemic-related losses, and in 2022, the struggling brand was sold to the Authentic Brands Group for £211 million.

The lesson: Differentiation is crucial. Even if your product is high quality, you need a clear and evolving brand identity that sets you apart in a market that never stands still.

Nokia: From market leader to missed opportunity

Remember when Nokia was the mobile phone brand? In the early 2000s, Nokia dominated the global mobile market with durable, reliable, and functional phones. But when smartphones emerged, Nokia’s commitment to its existing technology and reluctance to innovate led to its downfall. While Apple and Samsung embraced touchscreen technology and robust app ecosystems, Nokia stuck to its Symbian operating system, which was clunky and difficult to navigate.

Unfortunately, the brand simply pushed Symbian too long. By the time it attempted to pivot with Windows-powered smartphones, the market had already moved on. Despite its history of solid products, Nokia lost its edge by failing to anticipate where consumers were headed.

The lesson: ‘Good enough’ products won’t save you when the market evolves. Brands must invest in innovation to maintain their relevance.

Gap: A classic case of brand drift

Gap was once almost synonymous with Americana — simple, quality basics that appealed to a broad audience. But somewhere along the way, Gap lost its sense of identity. The brand struggled to balance mass-market appeal with fashion-forward relevance, resulting in collections that felt generic, tired, and targeted to noone in particular.

As fast fashion brands like H&M and Forever 21 captured trend-driven shoppers with their new styles and lower prices, Gap got squeezed in the middle. Its lack of a clear, compelling value proposition led to store closures and declining sales year after year.

The lesson: A strong, well-defined brand identity isn’t a ‘nice to have’—it’s essential. Brands that try to please everyone often end up exciting no one.

So, how do you avoid the trap of ‘pretty good’?

If you want your brand to thrive—not just survive—here’s what you need to focus on:

• Define a clear value proposition: What makes you different? Why should people choose you over competitors?
• Stay close to your audience: Consumer needs evolve—your brand should too. Stay in tune with your audience’s desires and behaviors.
• Innovate continuously: Don’t wait until sales drop to start thinking about what’s next. Brands that lead markets are the ones that stand the test of time.
• Tell a story: People connect with brands that have a voice, a vision, and a story worth sharing.
• Invest in experience: Product quality matters, but so does how people feel when they interact with your brand — online, in-store, and everywhere in between.

There are plenty of examples of brands that have got this right, with beloved toy brand LEGO being one. It could have easily become a nostalgic brand — beloved, but slowly fading into the background as digital entertainment took over. Instead, it evolved into one of the world’s most innovative and culturally relevant companies.

How? By staying true to its core — creativity and play — while expanding how it brings that vision to life. LEGO embraced collaborations (e.g. its wildly successful partnerships with Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Marvel), moved into digital experiences (like the LEGO Super Mario interactive sets), and created movies that turned its brand into an entertainment powerhouse.

When many traditional toy companies struggled with declining sales, LEGO kept growing — because it wasn’t just selling plastic bricks. It was selling imagination, storytelling, and shared experiences, adapting to new platforms and audiences without ever losing its identity.

There’s a lot to learn from LEGO’s playbook. For starters, it’s important to stay true to your roots as a brand, while staying ahead of consumer demands. Brands must know what consumers want, even before the consumer knows what they want. That’s how you become unforgettable in a market full of ‘pretty good’ options – because good just isn’t good enough anymore.

If you want your brand to go beyond ‘pretty good’, let’s talk!