EP 81: Brand positioning and becoming a category king with Christopher Lochhead

Christopher Lochhead is co-author of Harper Collins' instant classic “Play Bigger” and host of the Legends and Losers podcast.

Christopher is a retired three-time, Silicon Valley, public company CMO, entrepreneur and category designer. Fast Company Magazine calls him a "Human Exclamation Point and The Economist calls him "off-putting to some. He can recite much of The Big Lebowski but can't remember his wife's phone number. He's a proud advisor to nonprofit 1 Life Fully Lived, an ass-kicking public speaker, and surf / ski bum living happily ever after in Santa Cruz California with a wonderful tribe and 7 beautiful hens.  

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

• Chris’ career journey that took him from Silicon Valley CMO to coach to podcast host
• Chris’ book: “Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers, and Innovators Create and Dominate Markets”
• What category design is and why every agency needs to get great at it
• Why “category” is as important as “product” and “company”
• How to position your agency in a category that you can dominate
• The two kinds of problems that need solving
• The three questions to ask to start creating your category to dominate
• The three ways service-based businesses make money
• Why your client base may change after you define your category (and why that’s perfectly okay)
• Why your agency can still do work that doesn’t fit exactly in your category if needed (the kids gotta eat!) as long as the perception of your agency stays within your category
• Why legendary category designers always expand what they do
• Why becoming a category king is going to take a leap of faith
• And tons of examples of category kings that have done what it takes to stand out amongst the competition

Ways to Contact Christopher Lochhead:

• Podcast: www.legendsandlosers.com
• Book: "Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers, and Innovators Create and Dominate Markets"