If there's one thing behavioural science teaches us, it's this: the problem we think we're solving is rarely the actual problem.

That's why many of the most disruptive brands didn't win by building a unique or truly better product — they won by telling a better story, solving a different problem, or rethinking value from the customer's point of view.

• Airbnb: solved loneliness, not just accommodation.

• Spotify: solved choice paralysis, not just music access.

• Hellofresh: solved decision fatigue, not just dinner.

In other words, they zoomed out.

Let's look at a few who did this spectacularly well — not by outspending competitors, but by outthinking them.

Monzo

Most traditional banks compete on rational features: overdraft rates, mortgage deals, and branch locations. Enter Monzo, a digital-first bank that realised people don't want a "bank" — they want clarity, control, and peace of mind over their money.

Monzo's fluorescent orange card became a badge of honour. Not because of APRs, but because it made spending and budgeting your money understandable — instant notifications, budgeting tools, and playful spending summaries made money feel human.

Results?

• Over 7 million customers by 2023

• One of the most trusted banks in the UK (and they don't even have retail branches)

• Net Promoter Score? Higher than most luxury brands. Typically 70+

Monzo didn't disrupt banking by making better financial products — they made better psychological products.

Liquid Death

Selling canned water in the most metal packaging imaginable shouldn't work. But Liquid Death proves people don't always buy what makes sense; they buy what makes meaning.

They took one of the most boring and commoditised products on earth — water — and gave it an attitude. They didn't market hydration. They marketed rebellion, humour, and sustainability. Suddenly, drinking water became punk rock. Crazy.

Results?

• Valued at 1.4b in July 2024 – More on this here >

• 300% YoY growth

• Outselling many significant legacy soft drink brands in key US and European markets

While competitors shouted about the exact same thing (purity and glaciers), Liquid Death asked: what if water didn't have to be boring?

Slack

Slack didn't just streamline team communication, it rewrote the language of work. While traditional tools focused on structure and efficiency, Slack tapped into something deeper: the emotional exhaustion of dealing with corporate email.

It replaced formal emails with casual, real-time chats. Threads, emojis, channels — it all felt more like texting friends than drafting memos. The tone was friendly, the UX playful, and the vibe? Refreshingly non-corporate.

Results?

• Grew to 10M+ daily active users before acquisition

• Acquired by Salesforce in 2021 for $27.7 billion

• Became the gold standard for modern workplace communication

Slack didn’t win by promising faster comms. It won by making work feel less like work — and more like a conversation you actually wanted to have.

What's the pattern here?

The best brands didn't just identify the pain point; they reframed it. They didn't make better widgets; they made better mental models.

• Monzo solved anxiety, not just banking.

• Liquid death solved the stigma of being boring with water in social settings

• Slack solved the fatigue of corporate communications, not just messaging

Takeaway for marketers and brand builders: be less rational, more interesting

We love to solve problems like engineers: with features and logic. But consumers often chose based on emotion, identity, and instinct.

The biggest brand wins come from rethinking the problem itself. When you zoom out – beyond the product, the category, the industry logic, you start to see where the real disruption lies.

As Rory Sutherland says: "Don't compete on the thing everyone else is measuring. Compete on the thing nobody's even thinking about.

Want to brainstorm how your brand could zoom out and reframe your value? Let’s chat.

About the Author

Jonathan Drainey is a Fractional Marketing Director and Brand Strategist. A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, he has a proven track record in transforming IP into market-ready products and global challenger brands. He is an expert in developing and managing omnichannel communications while building brand equity and driving sustainable growth.

Jonathan is passionate about advancing the circular economy and helping to build transformative, high-growth companies in the agri-food, health, energy, tech, and industrial sectors.

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