A Bland World

The venture capital-funded ecosystem of consumer startups are increasingly looking more similar... almost identical.

Enter blands. Blands are startups that seek to disrupt a status quo, with aspirational anti-corporate values, yet have a blaring duality to them as multiple entrants claim to be unique in product, groundbreaking in purpose, and singular in delivery. 

Some of the buzziest startups of Silicon Valley have triumphed from this model, including Harry's, Oscar, Away, and Warby Parker. They promise to cut out the middle man, position themselves as underdogs, offer a cute brand narrative, and are ineluctable.

As champion exists decline in the consumer products startup sector, a handful of companies stay winning. The digital marketing design agencies, like New York-based Red Antler, are behind the lion's share of the brand identity of these businesses. They offer a "business in a box" approach, packaging startups with the boilerplate tool kits necessary to capture consumer capital. 

Personally, I've been growing increasingly tired of this landscape. It feels like the bulk of the "use of funds" on a consumer product startup's deck is for "advertising on the 6 train". This is why I was delighted to read this op-ed published by Bloomberg last week about consumer fatigue. We need a change and we need it now.

Source:

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-09-07/welcome-to-your-bland-new-world-of-consumer-capitalism