Challenger brands

A challenger brand aims to disrupt and shake up its industry. They’re often small businesses that go toe-to-toe with industry leaders by providing alternative solutions, backed by ethical mission statements.

Why do small businesses become challenger brands?

It’s very difficult to compete with the dominant industry leaders. Just think of Colgate, Heinz, Apple and Cadburys - a new brand starting out in one of these industries is going to find it near-impossible to get noticed. After all, these corporations have been around for years, they’re loved by consumers, and have huge investor-backed budgets

Being a challenger brand, however, gives you the opportunity to stand out because your core mission is to disrupt the market leaders. Take Tony’s Chocolonely, as an example. This brand has positioned itself against the likes of Cadbury’s by highlighting slavery within the chocolate industry. By educating consumers (and producing delicious, ethically-sourced chocolate), they’ve become a go-to choice for many chocolate-lovers.

Challenger brand examples from ecommerce brands

If you’re interested to find out about challenger brands, we recommend taking a look at our article that delves into the different types of challenger brands and how you can build your own challenger brand strategy. 🙌