Brand Strategy
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Tim Hillegonds
A Case for Brand in the AI Era
AI and automation are leveling the playing field. When every business has access to the same tools, the only lasting differentiator is brand. The companies that invest deeply in who they are—and signal it clearly—are the ones that will thrive.
When all things are equal, the most memorable brand wins.
I wrote that sentence down more than a decade ago and it’s more or less the concept on which I built my business. However, when I view the statement through today’s lens, I realize that more specificity is needed.
When I say “things,” I mean talent, products, technologies, cultures, and customer experiences.
When I say “memorable,” I mean considered, architected, structured.
When I say “win,” I mean survive, evolve, and thrive.
Put together: When all talent, products, technologies, cultures, and customer experiences are equal, the most considered and architected brand is the one that survives, evolves, and thrives.
The Playing Field Is Leveling
Right now, we’re watching artificial intelligence and automation democratize business. Tools like LLMs, robotics, 3D printing, and advanced engineering are so powerful that nearly every organization—large or small—can deploy them and operate at a higher level.
Entire functions—marketing, sales, administration—can be stood up quickly and cheaply. Just as the internet made geography nearly irrelevant, AI is making size and scale nearly irrelevant.
The high-water mark is now sea level. Every business has the potential to be great.
Differentiation Still Matters
And yet the “new normal” is really the old normal. When technology lifts everyone up, differentiation doesn’t disappear—it simply becomes even more important.
If the purpose of business is to create value and turn a profit, and the purpose of AI tools is to accelerate exactly that, then what happens when every business is equally capable?
The answer is that the brand that knows itself best—the one that invests in its identity, cultivates its DNA, and signals its difference with clarity—will be the one that stands apart.
Because when everything else is equal—when every company has the same access, the same speed, the same capabilities—the brand that is most considered, most invested, and most true to itself is the brand that wins: market share, affinity, and voice.
For businesses that understand this, an incredible opportunity awaits.
Because when all things are equal, the most memorable brand wins.
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