The Better Trap
A 'better' copy of an existing solution to a well-understood problem almost always fails.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 94%
The most common and most fatal move is to attack a well-known, well-defined problem with a direct copy that is merely 'better.' When both the problem and the existing solution are well understood, there is no need for a new solution — so even overwhelming brand and distribution advantages can't save it. Problems create categories, so a better product without a reframed problem goes nowhere.
Origin
Christopher Lochhead / Category Pirates. Illustrated with Meta's Threads, which Lochhead and co-authors wrote about at launch.
Core principles
- 01Problems create categories, not products
- 02The best product does not automatically win — that belief is 'as available as oxygen' and wrong
- 03To beat an incumbent you must either solve a NEW problem or reframe an existing one very differently
- 04When the existing problem and solution are well understood, a 'better' clone triggers a look-then-leave response
- 05The emphasis on 'better' puts the stress on the wrong syllable — the product — instead of the problem
How to run it
- 1
Check whether the problem is already well understood
If the problem you're solving and the incumbent's solution are both well-defined in customers' minds, a better version of the same thing has no wedge. There is literally no need for a new solution.
Watch out Massive distribution, a top-10 brand, and a free product still won't overcome a well-defined problem/solution pairing — Threads had all three and cratered.
- 2
Refuse to invite comparison
Don't celebrate being 'X but better,' don't put competitor feature-comparison charts on your homepage, don't lean on Gartner/Forrester quadrants. Actively seeking comparison concedes you're fighting for the leftover 24%.
Pro tip If your marketing says 'don't take our word for it' and points at competitors, you've already framed yourself as a challenger in someone else's category.
- 3
Reframe the problem before offering the solution
To win against an incumbent, reframe, name, and claim the existing problem in a deliberately different way so people see it anew — only then are they open to a new solution.
In the wild
Threads launched with arguably the greatest distribution advantage in software history, a top-10 tech brand, an easy free onboarding, and a billion-user parent app. It attacked a well-understood problem (Twitter) with a direct copy openly celebrated as 'Twitter but better,' and became the fastest-growing app ever — then everyone checked it out and left.
→ Despite the record launch, engagement cratered and Meta faced writing off roughly a billion dollars, because a better clone of a well-defined solution has no reason to be adopted.
Bezos launched a 'better' phone; nobody bought it because the iPhone already solved the problem. Red Bull assumed its brand made the category (it was the reverse) and lost fortunes on cola. Ballmer told his team to copy Apple Stores 'exactly' — and lost an estimated $400M-$1B.
→ Each was a well-resourced 'better' attack on a category with a well-understood problem and incumbent solution, and each failed.
Common mistakes
Believing the best product wins
Tech is full of 'product bigots' who believe better/faster/cheaper automatically wins. Customers don't buy product superiority; they buy a new insight about a problem that requires a different solution.
Assuming your brand can carry any product
Red Bull believed its world-class brand made it, then slapped that brand on cola and lost heavily. The energy-drink category made the brand, not the reverse, so the brand didn't transfer to a category it didn't own.
Is it for you?
Best for
Founders tempted to launch a '10x better' clone into a category with an established leader
Not ideal for
Genuinely new problem spaces where no incumbent solution exists yet
From the transcript
“Problems create categories. And you either have to A, solve a new problem or B, reframe name and claim an existing problem”
“you can't take an existing problem with an existing solution, launch exactly the same”
“the problem and therefore the solution that you think you're solving with your iPhone is solved with your iPhone.”
From the episode
How to become a category pirate
Christopher Lochhead (author of Play Bigger, Niche Down, Cat