Differentiation isn't about being better—it's about being different in a way that matters. The Zag framework is strategic opposition: identify what everyone in your category does, then do the opposite. Not for the sake of being contrarian, but because sameness is invisible and difference creates positioning.
Find what's true for you that contradicts the category norm.
What Does the Category Say?
Study your competitors. What are they all doing? What's the prevailing tone, message, visual style, and promise? Map the category conventions.
What's the Opposite?
Find the contrarian position that's still authentic to you. What can you say or do that's 180 degrees from the norm—but true to your brand?
What's Your Organizing Idea?
Land on a creative idea that expresses this opposition in a powerful, portable way. One that can flex across campaigns and channels.
How Does It Come to Life?
Translate it into visual identity, messaging tone, channel strategy, and content. Make the zag systematic, not just a tagline.
Zagging only works if it's authentic. You can't fake differentiation—audiences see through manufactured opposition instantly. The best zags emerge from what's genuinely true about your brand that happens to contradict what everyone else is doing.
In 1982, three British ad men—John Bartle, Nigel Bogle, and John Hegarty—left their agency jobs to start Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH). Their first client was Levi's. Their first ad showed a herd of white sheep all looking one direction, and one black sheep looking up and out in the opposite direction.
The tagline: "When the world zigs, zag."
This wasn't just a campaign idea—it became BBH's founding philosophy. The agency built itself around the belief that difference is the only sustainable competitive advantage. Zagging became their strategic framework, applied to everything from Levi's to Audi to Johnnie Walker.
1982 Britain: Post-recession. Thatcher era. Markets consolidating. Traditional advertising losing effectiveness. Brands were defaulting to category norms—following what competitors did because it felt safe.
The Problem: Everyone in athletic wear showed perfect athletes. Everyone in beer showed parties. Everyone in tech showed features. Categories had become echo chambers. Safe positioning meant invisible positioning.
BBH's Insight: In mature markets, differentiation isn't a nice-to-have. It's survival. The brands that win are the ones brave enough to look opposite when everyone else looks one way. Levi's was declining—BBH's work helped save the brand by making it stand for rebellion, not just denim.
The Impact: Audi's "Vorsprung durch Technik" (coined by Hegarty in 1984) became synonymous with German engineering precision. Johnnie Walker's "Keep Walking" grew market share from 13% to 20%. The zag wasn't just creative—it was commercially effective.
Why It Endures: Categories still default to sameness. B2B SaaS companies all promise "seamless integration." DTC brands all claim "premium quality, accessible price." The zag framework survives because human attention remains scarce and categories remain crowded. Difference still wins.