SCISSORS-ROCK-PAPER: HOW TO TURN YOUR COMPANY'S SIZE INTO A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Summary from the TLDR Marketing newsletter

Scissors-Rock-Paper is a metaphor that explains the challenges and opportunities that come from being a small (scissors), medium (rock), or large (paper) company. Young/small companies must focus — like a sharp pair of scissors — which helps them get market share from big but unfocused papers. Medium-sized companies add new products and/or sub-brands, so they lose some focus but can still crush scissors with their momentum. Large companies have more product lines, which allows them to cover rocks with their resources, but still lose to hyper-focused scissors. Young brands should lean into being hyper-focused rather than simply copying the big players in their industry. Companies should also be prepared to reposition the brand at each stage of the Scissors-Rock-Paper cycle.