In most mature markets, we face rivals with the same tools, the same data, the same benchmarks. Features blur. Margins shrink. What decides outcomes is the frame through which decisions get made, and that frame is narrative.

We treat story as decoration. That’s costly. A clear narrative sets priorities, filters bets, and shapes how our product is judged before a demo starts. It turns pricing, onboarding, service, and the way we show up on LinkedIn into one coherent signal. Not flair. Coherence.

Innovation still matters. It rarely decides the category on its own. Capability is cheap. Distinctiveness is not. When options look interchangeable, brand becomes the decision shortcut. Not a logo. A system of meaning built from positioning, language, and cues we repeat until they feel inevitable.

There’s the awkward bit. We can spend millions making the product “better” and still lose the frame that steers choice. Or we can own it and let the market do some work for us.

If we ignore the story, the market will return the favor.