How to Steal and Win
In 2011, Ron Johnson was one of the most admired executives in retail.
He had helped create the Apple Store experience with open layouts, premium pricing, minimal discounting, and a brand-led buying journey. That model turned physical retail into a competitive advantage and generated record profits per square foot.
So when J.C. Penney hired Johnson as CEO, the board’s thinking was simple:
“Let’s copy Apple’s strategy.”
And that’s exactly what they tried to do.
Johnson eliminated coupons and sales, redesigned stores into sleek brand boutiques, and repositioned J.C. Penney as a more design-forward, aspirational retailer - essentially pasting the Apple Store philosophy onto a 100-year-old department store.
It was a disaster. Within a year sales dropped by more than 20%, JCP stock collapsed, and Johnson was fired after just 17 months.
That story is such a great reminder that copying someone else’s playbook doesn’t mean you’re going to have success. As agency leaders, we have a dual responsibility to observe and evolve based on what others are doing, while also creating the unique flavor that actually works for us and our audience.
How to Steal and Win
If we refused to look at other agencies’ growth strategies, our progress as an industry would grind to a halt. Great strategy rarely appears, it tends to accumulate. So, is there a way to do intellectual thievery properly? Absolutely.
Ask the Right Question
JC Penney asked the wrong question “how can we do that?”.
The right question to ask is “how can we create a version of that for us?”.
You may see a competitor hosting an industry event and feel the urge to create your own event. But instead, it’s more fruitful to focus on how you might create a sense of community or inspired learning for your audience.
Similarly, just because a competitor built a slick self-diagnostic tool doesn’t mean you need to build one too. Instead, evaluate how you can add value in an asynchronous way.
Emergent Properties of Context
Emergent properties of context are the things that only show up because of your specific mix (who you are, what you do, and who you do it for).
They don’t exist on their own. They only show up through interaction.
That’s why your positioning, services, client mix, culture, pricing, and delivery model all shape what kind of strategy will actually work. What worked for another agency isn’t plug-and-play. That’s because you’re not them.
When you ignore that, you get square peg, round hole marketing.
You chase tactics that seem smart or trendy, but they don’t fit. They don’t convert. And they don’t feel like you.
This is more than just “find your voice.” It’s about building growth strategies that emerge naturally from your positioning, not in spite of it.
If nothing else, remember this: how a relationship starts is how it tends to go. Making sure that your marketing and sales approach reflects your agency’s uniqueness is one of the best ways to ensure great client relationships.
