Reframing is not innovation
Sometimes, it can be super tempting to rename a product or service category to make what you offer seem more innovative — especially when you’re dying to differentiate or the market starts to feel commoditised.
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FYI
A product category is the label people use to understand, compare, and search for similar solutions — it’s the mental shelf your product sits on.
Cloud storage is a category that includes Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive.
Streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu fall under the video-on-demand category. More on this later.
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Renaming a category can signal new developments, shifts in strategy, or create new markets.
AWS successfully reframed hosting infrastructure as cloud computing and IaaS, even though the underlying technology was the same. The shift from “IT outsourcing” to “managed services” didn’t change the core service but reframed it in a way that made it feel more proactive and valuable to customers.
But shifting to a brand new category name is only valuable when it aligns with clear messaging and market understanding.
Here’s what I’ve learned being led down the wrong reframing path:
→ Clarity wins:
B2B decision-makers value precise terminology. When you try to create a new category by renaming an existing one, you risk confusing the market. The clearer the category name, the easier it is for your audience to recognise the value.
→ Focus on the core value:
When everyone and everything is about innovation, it’s easy to fall into the trap of renaming a category in a way that just sounds different. Reframing should emphasise what the solution delivers, not just sound new. Creativity is important, but it’s substance that drives trust.
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Sidebar
Quibi (with $1.8B funding) attempted to reframe short-form video streaming as “quick bites” — a new, innovative category of premium, mobile-only content.
The term was unclear, the value was hard to communicate, and people didn’t really need a new category. YouTube and TikTok already delivered what Quibi was trying to reframe — without the paywall.
There are plenty of other reasons why Quibi failed here.
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→ Buzzwords can attract attention, but you should probably just… not:
Jumping on buzzwords like next-gen or intelligent? In technical markets, your audience is probably going to see straight through it. They’re empty words that when pressed on (and you will be pressed on it) you’re going to find hard to actually explain. Focus on names and words that clearly communicate the real value of the solution.
→ Speak your market’s language:
This one is pretty simple, and for the SEO obsessors: if your new category name doesn’t align in some way with what your target audience is searching for or familiar with, they probably won’t find you. In B2B tech, where decision-makers spend a lot of time researching, industry-standard terms can be crucial.
→ Familiarity is your strongest asset:
It’s tempting to come up with a bold, stand out, groundbreaking name. But go too far and you’re going to cause confusion, especially in technical industries where precision matters. If you must reframe the category, keep it familiar enough so your audience knows what you’re talking about. Disruption is powerful, but it shouldn’t come at the cost of clarity.
→ Timing is key:
Reframing a category is often the first step in repositioning industries or disrupting entire markets (think Uber with ride-sharing, Zoom redefining video conferencing).
But timing is everything.
Introduce a new name too early, and the market might not be ready for it. Introduce it too late, and competitors may already dominate the space with the original name.
Some may argue that early movers can establish themselves as leaders — Tesla introduced electric cars well before the market was prepared — but the safest play is to balance timing with market readiness.
So before you rename or reframe an existing category, ask yourself: Does it help my audience better understand the value of my solution? Or does it create unnecessary confusion?