I’m currently teaching my sons how to play chess. It’s a game I’ve always admired because of the way it combines observation, strategy, and foresight. At first, my boys simply mirrored my moves, replicating my tactics without developing a strategy of their own. It was enough to keep the game going, but it never gave them the upper hand.
Businesses can fall into the same trap. Many leaders study their competitors carefully, yet only respond by copying what they see. They mirror campaigns, pricing structures, or product bundles, enough to stay in the match, but never enough to change it.
The truth is that while benchmarking has its place, it is not enough. Standout businesses use competitor intelligence not simply to keep pace, but to identify opportunities for differentiation. They anchor their strategies in customer insight, spotting the gaps and unmet needs that competitors overlook. In doing so, they position themselves not just as players, but as leaders.
Why competitor research matters
Competitor research acts as a safeguard against strategic blind spots. It helps leaders understand the context in which they operate, highlights emerging trends, and enables them to anticipate market shifts. At its simplest, it provides a mirror: showing how their business measures up against others in the sector. Yet I am often surprised at how few companies I come across invest time and money into it.
For boards and senior teams, this perspective can be reassuring. It reduces the risk of being caught off guard by disruption, and it provides useful benchmarks for performance. But benchmarking, by definition, is about keeping pace. Just as in chess, copying an opponent’s moves rarely leads to victory; at best, it creates a stalemate.
The democratisation of intelligence (Sorry for the grandness of the subtitle, but do read on)
One of the most striking developments of the past decade has been the increasing accessibility of competitor data. What was once the preserve of expensive market reports is now widely available, often in real time. Today’s leaders have an entire arsenal of tools at their disposal.
Search and advertising platforms such as SEMrush, SpyFu and Ahrefs provide deep visibility into rival keyword strategies, paid search activity, and backlink profiles. Social platforms are equally transparent: Meta’s Ad Library and the Google Ads Creative Library allow anyone to browse live campaigns and creative executions.
Beyond advertising, tools like SimilarWeb, BuiltWith, and Wappalyzer expose traffic sources, audience demographics, and even the technology stacks competitors are using. For pricing and product strategies, platforms such as Prisync or automated web crawlers reveal shifts in proposition and positioning. Social listening solutions like Brandwatch and Sprout Social uncover audience sentiment around brands, campaigns, and sectors. There really is an option for everyone's budget and appetite.
This democratisation of intelligence means that whether you are a global brand or a challenger firm, the playing field is visible. Ignorance of competitors is no longer an option.
The perils of "me-too" marketing
The risk, however, is that with so much intelligence available, businesses fall back on replication. They see a rival investing in TikTok, and they follow. They note a competitor’s product bundle, and they launch something similar. They benchmark pricing and adjust theirs accordingly.
Replication may keep you in contention, but it will not create distinction. Brands that only copy risk eroding their individuality. They begin to look and sound alike, making it harder for customers to tell them apart. In crowded markets, that often leads to price-led competition — a race to the bottom where the cheapest offer wins.
Even more dangerously, competitor-led decision-making risks diverting attention away from the most important perspective of all: the customer. If all strategic energy is spent watching rivals, leaders may overlook the evolving needs, preferences, and frustrations of the very people they serve.
Stand out based on your customer insights
The businesses that thrive are those that view competitor research as the starting point, not the finish line. They use it to identify white space, focusing on the opportunities to meet customer needs that others are neglecting.
Consider the role of customer insight alongside competitor intelligence. By combining the two, leaders can spot gaps in service, respond to emotional drivers that influence decision-making, and position themselves as challenger brands that offer something distinct. This is not about being different for difference’s sake. It is about creating differentiation that matters, rooted in what customers value most. At Mobas we talk about our work being audience-fueled, which is the essence of this approach.
Take, for instance, the financial services firm that observed competitors competing solely on interest rates and incentives. Instead of joining the race, they built a brand around simplicity, transparency, and customer control. Or the retail business that, rather than matching competitors’ discounting strategies, invested in sustainability credentials that spoke to a growing segment of values-driven consumers. In both cases, competitor intelligence revealed the battlefield, but customer insight dictated where victory could be found. This is exactly the approach we take with our clients, too.
Turning intelligence into strategy
So how can senior leaders move beyond benchmarking and put this into practice?
The first step is cadence, a phrase I'm mocked for using around the office as it's been given the ironic title of my 'Word of the year', but in this instance it's well placed. Competitor research should not be an occasional exercise, carried out only when planning a campaign or responding to a crisis. A structured rhythm, such as quarterly audits, ensures that intelligence remains current and actionable.
Second, competitor data must be contextualised with customer insight. Analytics dashboards, social listening, customer feedback, and behavioural research should be layered over competitor activity to reveal what truly resonates. Where do competitors excel, but customers remain dissatisfied? Where is investment flowing, but audience appetite is limited?
Ultimately, leaders must encourage teams to utilise research as a catalyst for innovation, rather than imitation. This requires collaboration across functions. Sales teams bring frontline customer pain points; product teams surface unmet needs; marketing identifies shifts in messaging and channel strategies. Together, these perspectives can transform raw competitor intelligence into differentiated positioning. Just as in chess, the boldest moves often come from seeing the whole board, not simply reacting to the last piece your opponent moved.
Now is the time for action
At the end oth the day, the greatest determinant of success is leadership mindset. Too often, competitor research is delegated downward as a marketing exercise. But the implications of differentiation are strategic, not tactical. They belong in the boardroom.
Leaders must foster a culture of curiosity and courage. Curiosity to continually explore the competitive landscape and listen deeply to customers. Courage to resist the temptation to simply copy, and instead invest in building the distinctive qualities that create long-term equity.
And if my experience of teaching chess has shown me anything, it’s that imitation is only the beginning. Soon enough, my sons will be planning several moves ahead, spotting my weaknesses, and beating me at my own game. When that day comes, I’ll happily leave the chessboard to them and stick to what I know best: helping businesses use insight to stand out.