Unusual Breakthroughs: A Guide for Service Brand Strategy

Many service brands unknowingly trap themselves in “best practices” that simply make them blend in. True brand breakthroughs happen when you shift from being a commodity provider to becoming a strategic, irreplaceable partner in your client’s life or business.

As a Brand Breakthrough Strategist, I believe service brands can achieve dramatic breakthroughs by thinking differently, acting unusually, and leading strategically. It’s not about what the industry expects you to do—it’s about what moves your brand forward in ways no one else dares to.

This actionable guide will walk you through eight essential strategies for creating a service brand breakthrough. Whether you’re launching or repositioning, these approaches will help you craft a brand that moves markets—and minds.

1. Offer a Signature "Anti-Service"

The best service brands don’t just promise to deliver—they promise to remove pain in a surprising, specific way. Craft an “anti-service” offering: a service you don’t provide because refusing it proves your expertise and focus.

How to Craft Your Anti-Service:

Identify industry norms that create friction or distrust.
Publicly refuse to offer one or two common services.
Explain why that refusal benefits your clients profoundly.

Example: The Ritz-Carlton’s private residences intentionally don’t offer typical hotel perks like room service or daily housekeeping—signalling it’s not “a hotel you live in,” but “your own home enhanced by service.”

2. Declare a Bold Enemy (and Make It Personal)

Generic service brands solve surface problems. Breakthrough brands declare war on a systemic problem and take a bold personal stance against it.

How to Declare Your Bold Enemy:

Identify an industry belief or practice you vehemently oppose.
Make it part of your story, mission, and marketing.
Be unafraid to polarise—your best clients will love you for it.

Example: Zappos famously made bad customer service its “enemy,” designing legendary policies (like 365-day returns) that felt radical in the e-commerce world.

3. Introduce a Radical Guarantee

A typical money-back guarantee is boring and expected. A breakthrough guarantee feels outrageous—and shows how deeply you believe in your offer.

How to Create a Radical Guarantee:

Pinpoint client fears and offer a guarantee that directly confronts them.
Use vivid, emotional language—not just legalese.
Design it to feel generous but operationally smart.

Example: ZoomCare, an on-demand healthcare service, guarantees “no wait times” for appointments—or your visit is free. They engineered operations around that promise.

4. Build a Brand-Specific Ritual

Services often feel intangible. Rituals make your brand experience memorable and repeatable, turning an invisible service into a tangible feeling.

How to Build a Brand Ritual:

Identify one key emotional moment in your customer journey.
Create a simple, repeatable ritual around it (language, symbols, experiences).
Train your team to protect and deliver this ritual consistently.

Example: Sweetgreen turns salad ordering into a personal ritual with its “chop or no chop” question—giving guests ownership and participation in the preparation experience.

5. Codify and Name Your Unique Methodology

Breakthrough service brands don’t just deliver outcomes—they deliver proprietary processes that clients can’t get elsewhere. Name your method. Make it famous.

How to Codify Your Methodology:

Map out your step-by-step service delivery.
Highlight what you do differently at each stage.
Create a unique, branded name for your framework.

Example: The BetterHelp online therapy platform markets its proprietary “Smart Matching Algorithm” that connects users to therapists based on emotional needs—an invisible method made powerfully visible.

6. Curate a "Reject List" of Clients

Most service brands accept anyone willing to pay. Breakthrough brands build strength and mystique by showing who they will not serve.

How to Curate Your Reject List:

Define traits, attitudes, or behaviours of clients you refuse.
Publicise it lightly but clearly—be proud of the standards.
Design onboarding filters that reflect your brand values.

Example: NetJets (private jet charter) quietly but firmly rejects customers who prioritise low-cost travel over exclusivity and service quality—preserving its elite brand aura.

7. Make Your Internal Culture the External Brand

Customers experience service brands through frontline employees. Brands that weave internal culture into the external brand story create unmatched loyalty.

How to Turn Culture Into Brand:

Define internal values that drive behaviours, not just posters.
Celebrate team stories and rituals publicly.
Let your team voice shape customer messaging authentically.

Example: Southwest Airlines’ playful, people-first culture spills over into every customer interaction—from witty safety speeches to extra-mile moments of kindness.

8. Disrupt with Unexpected Transparency

Service brands are often vague about pricing, process, or results. Strategic transparency—revealing what competitors hide—builds radical trust.

How to Use Disruptive Transparency:

Publish behind-the-scenes videos or walkthroughs.
Openly share challenges you face and how you handle them.
Price visibly and explain value upfront.

Example: Wistia (a video hosting service) openly shares detailed financials, product roadmaps, and internal failures, creating deep trust with its business clients.

A Final Insight from an Unusual Brand Breakthrough Strategist

Building a breakthrough service brand isn’t about delivering services better—it’s about designing an experience, a philosophy, and a daring stand that redefines expectations.

Service brands that move are built on strategy, integrity, and a fearless commitment to be unusual by design. The future belongs to service brands that don’t just solve problems—but change the very rules of the game.

Are you ready to shift from service provider to service movement? Let’s create a service brand strategy that moves you—and your clients—into an extraordinary future.

Take your brand from stuck to in motion − with one bold strategic shift

"As a Breakthrough Strategist, I help brands uncover clarity, shift perspective, and move forward with bold, differentiating ideas. If your brand feels stuck or you're ready to lead with sharper focus, let’s unlock the next big move. One breakthrough can change everything."

Shobha Ponnappa