‘I’m calling them our Temu version.’
That was our client’s way of making light of an otherwise galling discovery: a new competitor entering the market. But not just any new competitor. This was the kind whose branding, messaging and entire positioning looked uncannily like hers.
Something must be in the air at the moment, because just a week later, another distressed client rang us with an eerily similar story. A competitor had suddenly ripped off their tagline. Almost word for word.
And both clients came to us with much the same question: what do we do now? Sue them? Change our whole brand? Leave them a one-star Google review?
But our advice? Stay calm… and carry on!
Being copied is annoying. It’s also telling.
You’ve spent months – maybe years – working out what makes your business different. You’ve invested in your brand, sharpened your positioning, developed a distinctive voice – and finally built recognition with your audience.
Then someone else comes along and conveniently decides: Yep, we’ll have some of that.
As infuriating as it is, that tells you something important: you’ve created something worth copying. They say imitation is the ultimate form of flattery. Admittedly, though, that may not be much consolation.
But beneath the irritation, there is something reassuring about it. It means your positioning is working. Your brand is getting noticed. You’ve carved out a space in the market that somebody else wants a piece of.
So give yourself a pat on the back! Raise a tiny (perhaps slightly passive-aggressive) glass to yourself.
Then carry on.
Don’t let them make you second-guess yourself
One of the worst things you can do when another company copies your brand is to panic and immediately change yours.
New tagline! New messaging! New colours! QUICK, EVERYBODY MOVE.
Suddenly, you’re abandoning the territory you worked so hard to establish simply because somebody else wandered into it.
Unless there’s a genuine strategic reason to change direction, don’t do it!
Stay confident in who you are. In fact, double down.
Keep building the point of view you’re known for. Keep reinforcing the messages you now own. And keep creating useful content that puts your expertise on display and showcases your voice.
Because you know what a copycat can’t reproduce? The vision and thinking behind your brand.
They can borrow a phrase. They can mimic a look. They can start talking about the same things you’ve been talking about for years.
But they don’t have your people (like your brilliant copywriters and content strategists), your experience, your client relationships, your history… and all the little things that made your brand what it is.
So, keep moving while they keep watching
There’s another reason not to become too distracted by what your competitors are doing: you have better things to do.
While they’re looking sideways at your business, you can keep looking – and moving – forwards.
Refine your ideas. Understand your customers better. Find sharper, more interesting ways to communicate what you do.
Because a strong brand was never one tagline frozen in time. It’s built through consistency, yes… but also through evolution.
And if you’re the one doing the thinking, guess what? You’re always going to be a step ahead.
So let them watch. You’ve got somewhere to go.
But yes, keep the receipts
Having said all of that, staying calm doesn’t mean pretending nothing is happening either.
If you spot examples of copying that deeply concern you, document them. Take screenshots. Save webpages. Note dates. Keep copies of anything that shows what your brand looked and sounded like before theirs started looking strangely similar.
Hopefully, those screenshots will spend the rest of their lives gathering digital dust in a folder you never need to open again.
But if the copying gets to a point where you can’t ignore it – especially if you’re concerned about intellectual property or customers confusing the two brands – get proper legal advice.
Remember who you are
Seeing your brand echoed somewhere else can feel strangely personal.
And we get it. Brands are personal. They’re the result of a lot of thinking, questioning, creating, refining – and occasionally, arguing over whether one word is better than another.
But someone copying you doesn’t suddenly make your brand any less yours. So don’t hand them more power than they deserve.
Protect what needs protecting. Keep an eye on what’s happening.
Then get back to building the brand they thought was worth copying in the first place.
And perhaps allow yourself one last, private:
Cute. But we prefer the original.
Want a brand people recognise – and competitors wish they’d thought of first? We can help with positioning, messaging and content strategy. Get in touch.
