What Category Creators See Before Everyone Else

De'Zha Scott

Category creation for brands is the strategic process of defining and owning a new market category rather than competing within an existing one.

In simple terms, it’s about pioneering a new idea into the market so people see your brand as the natural leader of that space. So, instead of positioning a product as a better version of what already exists, category creation reframes the problem and introduces a new way for customers to understand a solution.

Figma is a good example of a category creator. The company recognized early that design was no longer happening in isolation. It had become more collaborative, more cross-functional, and more real time across teams. By building for this shift early, Figma didn’t simply improve design tools; it helped redefine the design process itself.

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Customer behavior reveals the opportunity before the market can name it

In most industries, there is already a dominant category leader, followed by a few familiar players trying to win within the same set of rules. What makes category creators different is that they don’t spend their energy trying to out-position the category leader. Instead, they focus on what customers are doing, what they need, and where existing solutions no longer fit the reality of how people actually work.

Research from Harvard Business School and the Clayton Christensen Institute points to the same pattern: some of the most meaningful innovations come from recognizing behavioral shifts early, before the market has clearly defined them. The opportunity is not simply to build a better product. It’s to define the problem more clearly than anyone else by doing the research, listening carefully to the market, and deeply understanding the audience. Figma did this well by building around the behavior taking shape rather than forcing itself into an existing software category. The organizations that win in category creation are rarely the ones trying hardest to compete within an established market. They are the ones observant enough to see where the market is going and disciplined enough to “go first.”

So, what happens once that opportunity becomes clear?

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Narrative clarity must exist before marketing can perform

Organizations often try to rush growth by increasing the volume or frequency of their marketing. But when the brand narrative is unclear, those efforts rarely produce meaningful results. Narrative clarity must exist before marketing execution becomes impactful. What is required is a clear understanding of who the company is at its core, what it stands for, what problem it solves, and why it matters in the market. That is the work of brand strategy. Once that foundation is clear, marketing becomes the expression of that story through a cohesive and consistent narrative across channels.

Figma demonstrates this well by making collaboration the center of its story across products such as FigJam, Figma Slides, Figma Make, and Figma Sites. Each product extends the same core idea, while the language, launches, community, and marketing reinforce it in a way that reflects how the platform works. Over time, their message has evolved from making design easier to creating alignment, ensuring teams move in the same direction with the same source of truth.

In category creation work, this is where many organizations get stuck. They try to use marketing execution to figure out who they are instead of clarifying their identity first. The market cannot respond to a story it does not understand, and it will not build trust with a brand that does not communicate consistently. When the brand identity and narrative become clear, marketing starts to create traction.

Now, what turns that clarity into sustained growth?

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Product, brand, and marketing must reinforce the same story

The strongest category creators do more than tell a clear story. They ensure that the product experience reinforces the same story the brand and marketing are telling. Brand strategy defines who the company is and what it stands for. Marketing carries that story into the market. Product experience proves that the story is real.

This is where growth either compounds or breaks down. If the brand communicates clarity, trust, and ease, but the product experience feels confusing or disconnected from the brand's story, the audience notices. If the in-person experience feels thoughtful and aligned, but the digital presence feels inconsistent, the audience notices that too.

Figma succeeded because the collaboration it communicated through its brand and marketing was the same collaboration users experienced in the product itself. The experience reinforced the narrative.

The most successful organizations in category creation make sure the experience feels consistent wherever the audience encounters them. That consistency is what builds trust and creates loyalty. It’s what separates awareness from real engagement.

When product, brand, and marketing reinforce the same story, the company becomes associated with the category itself rather than competing inside existing alternatives.

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Final Thought: Category Creation Becomes Growth

Category creation helps companies grow because it changes the competitive game. Instead of fighting many rivals for attention in an existing market, the company defines a new space that it leads. This makes the brand easier to understand, easier to remember, and harder for competitors to copy.

Product makes the category real, and marketing ensures the people can recognize it, understand it, and trust it.

At BizLove, we help brands become category creators. We do this by sitting at the intersection of product and marketing – while navigating new market territory with executive teams.

We’ve learned not every organization is built to do this work. We seek out visionary leaders with bold ideas and the potential to bring something original into the world. If you know leaders and teams with that ambition and need a partner to help them make it a reality, we'd love to hear from you.

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