The brand that plays it safe is usually the one no one remembers. Where marketers often think they’re taking steps to “protect” their brand from any risk, it often makes them invisible to people who, like all of us at this point, naturally tune out marketing that looks and sounds familiar. I love working with challenger brands because they figured this out a long time ago. They typically don’t have the luxury of legacy recognition or bottomless budgets. What they do have (again, typically out of necessity but it still counts) is an edge: a willingness to take calculated risks, to commit to a strong point of view, and to focus on actually building a relationship with their audience.