The Browser Company's old-fashioned name was initially a signal of original thinking. However, once 50-100 other startups copied the convention, it became an 'anti-signal' for unoriginality. This demonstrates how a unique branding strategy can quickly become devalued through imitation, punishing followers and even the originator.

In a crowded digital space, products and marketing with a unique, even polarizing, visual style are more likely to capture attention and be memorable than those following standard design trends. Daring to be different visually can be a powerful competitive advantage.

As AI democratizes the ability to build products, the competitive advantage shifts from technical skill to the ability to appeal to human emotion and aesthetics. Having 'good taste'—knowing what will resonate with people—becomes a crucial differentiator for attracting and retaining customers.

Product 'taste' is often narrowly defined as aesthetics. A better analogy is a restaurant: great food (visuals) is necessary but not sufficient. Taste encompasses the entire end-to-end user journey, from being greeted at the door to paying the check. Every interaction must feel crafted and delightful.

As AI makes software creation faster and cheaper, the market will flood with products. In this environment of abundance, a strong brand, point of view, taste, and high-quality design become the most critical factors for a product to stand out and win customers.

Previously, a CPG startup could stand out with high-quality, tasteful product photography, signaling founder scrappiness and creativity. With tools like ChatGPT Images 2.0, any brand can generate elite-level imagery for free, neutralizing this advantage and forcing founders to find new ways to differentiate.

Many brands aspire to fit into the middle of their category, fearing that being too different will alienate consumers. This pursuit of the average leads to a sea of sameness, where entire industries—from cars to banks—lose their distinctiveness by copying category norms.

When every website uses AI to become perfectly optimized, the signals that once gave a competitive edge (like speed, schema, and authority) become mere table stakes. This "signal collapse" means the very act of universal optimization neutralizes its own effectiveness for differentiation.

AI tools are making high-quality assets like product photography accessible to everyone, commoditizing what was once a key differentiator and a signal of an entrepreneur's resourcefulness. This lowers the barrier to entry but makes it significantly harder for brands to truly stand out.