# Naming the enemy

**Published by:** [Doug Lane](https://paragraph.com/@axalane/)
**Published on:** 2022-03-30
**URL:** https://paragraph.com/@axalane/naming-the-enemy

## Content

Last weekend, I listened to two podcast interviews with David Cancel, the CEO of Drift (one new, one old, both great). While Drift isn't a security company, they're a popular example of a startup that created a new category successfully ("conversational marketing"). As I noted yesterday, I don't think security startups should try to define a new category in most cases. But even if you're not trying to do that, there's one aspect of what Drift did that I think all security startups should emulate. They named a clear enemy. In Drift's case, the enemy is web forms. What a great enemy. Nobody likes those – or the baggage they bring with them. Whether you're trying to create a new category – or looking for ways to differentiate within an existing one – naming the enemy forces you to zero in on tangible buyer pain points. There's still the small detail of creating and communicating a better alternative. But when you're battling for mindshare in a noisy market like security, finding immediate common ground with the buyer around a shared enemy is a great way to fast-track to a discussion about value and outcomes. -Doug​

## Publication Information

- [Doug Lane](https://paragraph.com/@axalane/): Publication homepage
- [All Posts](https://paragraph.com/@axalane/): More posts from this publication
- [RSS Feed](https://api.paragraph.com/blogs/rss/@axalane): Subscribe to updates