Be More Zebra™: Why Brand Differentiation In the Age of AI Is the Smart Growth Strategy

Brand Differentiation in the Age of AI

For the last decade, growth could be bought.

More media spend. More channels. More output. Faster optimisation - now it seems AI has put all of that on steroids.

Content is cheaper, campaigns are faster, and testing is instant. We now exist in a world where execution is no longer the constraint; it’s the baseline. And when everyone has access to the same tools, prompts, platforms and performance dashboards - everything begins to look the same.

This is the growth problem founders, CEOs, boards, and investors are facing:

In an AI-shaped market "sameness" has become the real commercial and investment risk 

Speed alone is no longer a strategy - it's all about differentiation.

AI is an extraordinary accelerator and an absolute game-changer for Scaleups. Used well, it lowers CAC, increases velocity, and unlocks scale that would have been impossible even a few years ago, when I was leading ad agencies for global clients and challenger brands.

But it also flattens creative variance.

Recent research shows that as teams rely more heavily on generative AI, outputs become more uniform. Tasks feel easier and faster, but originality, strategic judgement and distinctiveness decline. Businesses scale quicker, but they also stand out less.

This doesn’t just affect marketing assets. It affects how teams think, decide and innovate. In a market where differentiation drives value, that’s not a creative problem. It’s a growth one.

The companies that win won’t be those that use AI the most. They’ll be the ones who pair AI with human-led strategy, insight, and creative judgement, using technology to amplify what makes them different, not erase it.

The Zebra thesis: distinct by design

Zebras don’t survive because they’re the fastest animal on the savannah.

They survive because they’re intelligently designed.

Each zebra’s stripes are completely unique. Together, they create confusion for predators. Individually, they create recognition within the herd. The pattern serves as both camouflage and identity.

That’s the lesson most businesses miss.

You don’t need to outspend competitors or outpace them. You need to be recognisable, memorable, and strategically differentiated in your environment.

This is the essence of Be More Zebra.

Not quirky branding. Not surface-level creativity. But differentiation with intent - designed to scale, defend value and compound over time.

The sameness problem (and the lazy loop)

When AI is used without a strategy, teams fall into what we call the Lazy Loop:

“Let’s ask AI to build the brand strategy.”

“Let’s prompt our way to a campaign.”

“Let’s generate more content.”

The result is predictable: generic logos, sound-alike messaging, mid-tier taglines, ChatGPT websites and interchangeable brand worlds.

Of course, when you're doing it, it looks like you're busy, it feels productive. But all you are doing is quietly destroying differentiation and just making things harder for you and your team in the long run.

The smarter path looks very different:

Phase 1: Human-led strategy

Market context. Customer truth. Positioning. Creative direction shaped by insight, not prompts.

Phase 2: AI for scale and precision

AI used to execute that differentiated brand world at speed: personalisation, automation, testing and optimisation.

The key thing to remember here that AI doesn’t replace thinking. It multiplies it.

Differentiation is not creative vanity. It’s commercial leverage.

This is where brand and growth finally reconnect.

When differentiation is clear and consistent, it accelerates trust, improves recall, shortens sales cycles and increases pricing power. AI then scales that advantage across the funnel - from awareness to conversion.

This is the Zebra Funnel in action:

• Brand earns the click.

• AI content personalises the journey.

• AI testing and retargeting improve efficiency.

• Value compounds at the bottom line.

When teams skip differentiation, AI only helps them reach mediocrity faster.

The investor lens: why brand now affects exit value

This is where the conversation gets serious.

In due diligence, investors aren’t asking whether a company is running ads or producing content. They’re asking different questions entirely:

• Is this brand visually and verbally distinct?

• Are they using AI to scale uniqueness — not just churn output?

• Is CAC going down while LTV goes up?

• Would an acquirer pay more for the brand equity?

Companies aren’t bought for their spreadsheets alone; they're bought for their story, defensibility, scalability, and brand differentiation, and brand differentiation is key in the age of AI.

Brand creates the narrative. AI makes that narrative travel faster. Used together, they increase exit value.

Be More Zebra™ in practice

Brands like Notion built a calm, distinctive visual language and community-led positioning long before AI powered their scale. Their AI-driven growth worked because trust existed before the sale ever started.

AI amplified what was already distinct - that’s the high growth pattern we see again and again.

A smarter growth model

AI turns insight into scale, and brand turns scale into value. Together, they build businesses that grow faster, close deals quicker, and command higher valuations.

And in a world of speed, sameness and automation, the advantage doesn’t come from doing more - it comes from being designed to stand out.

Be bold. Be brave. Be More Zebra™

Read the full Be More Zebra™ Playbook

FAQs: Differentiation, Brand and the Zebra Effect

What does Be More Zebra™ mean in business terms?

Be More Zebra™ means building a brand that is intentionally distinct, recognisable and designed for its market. It’s about differentiation with purpose - not being louder or quirkier, but clearer and more strategically unique so growth compounds rather than stalls.

Why is differentiation more important in an AI-driven market?

AI accelerates execution and reduces costs for everyone. When the same tools, prompts and platforms are used across industries, outputs converge. Differentiation becomes the only sustainable advantage: brand gives meaning; AI gives scale.

Is brand still important if performance marketing is working?

Yes - especially then. Performance marketing is most effective when the brand creates trust, recall and preference upstream. Without brand reach, performance becomes more expensive over time and harder to scale efficiently.

How does brand differentiation impact growth metrics like CAC and LTV?

Strong differentiation increases memorability and trust, which typically lowers CAC, improves conversion rates and increases lifetime value. AI then helps optimise and scale these gains across channels.

Do investors really care about brand?

Increasingly, yes. In due diligence, investors look for defensibility, scalability and story - not just short-term performance. A differentiated brand signals maturity, reduces growth risk and can materially increase exit value.

Can AI replace brand strategy and creative thinking?

No. AI is a powerful accelerator, but it doesn’t replace insight, judgement or originality. The most effective teams use AI to scale a human-led strategy, not generate one from scratch.

Is Be More Zebra™ just for consumer brands?

No. The Zebra Effect is just as relevant in B2B, SaaS and professional services. When competitors look and sound the same, differentiation improves inbound quality, shortens sales cycles and supports premium pricing.

Is Be More Zebra™ an OSER philosophy?

Yes. Be More Zebra is OSER’s differentiation philosophy. It’s the strategic lens we use to help scaleups, leadership teams and investors build brands that are intentionally distinct, defensible and designed for growth in an AI-shaped world.

It’s not a campaign or a creative gimmick. It’s a way of thinking about how strategy, creativity and AI work together to create lasting competitive advantage, and it underpins how we approach positioning, brand building, growth strategy and advisory work at OSER.

When should a scaleup invest in differentiation?

Earlier than most teams think. Differentiation works best when established before significant scaling, international expansion, or fundraising. It becomes harder - and more expensive - to retrofit later.

How does OSER help companies become more differentiated?

OSER works with founders, leadership teams and investors to clarify positioning, unlock creative differentiation and apply AI in ways that scale what makes a business distinct - not generic. Our mantra is: strategy first - scale second.