Marketing disruptors change the status quo. More than an innovative new product, the disruptor shifts the marketplace, creating a new product that changes the marketing context. It is both a destructive and creative force.
Millennials value disruption more than any generation. They want efficiency and convenience, while demanding transparency and purpose. This group drives and rewards marketing disruptors that respond to shifting needs, demands and expectations.
Marketing disruptors are not afraid of risks. They anticipate trends, or adapt them, before they go mainstream. New or repositioned products create the disruption. Zappos’ extreme customer service was the disruptor in the e-commerce retailing space, creating a new level of customer experience and setting the bar for other e-retailers. AirBnB’s online platform acts as a broker between renters and property owners. The company does not own any of the properties. Through this disruptive approach, the hotel/lodging industry does not have a viable competitive position. Casper, the sleep company, changed the mattress industry through its unique online distribution (bed-in-a-box model), combined with its attention to customer service.
All three of these companies brought seismic changes to the playing field, changing how the market operates and what the consumer expects. Successful marketing disruptors require a daring, often counter-intuitive strategy.