A company just raised at a $1B valuation, 18 months in, largely by naming a thing.
18 months ago 'answer engine optimization' was not a phrase. Then Profound named it, taught it, ran the conferences, and raised ~$155M total (Fortune).
They did not win on technology. They planted the category flag in the market's head first.
That is distribution, not product.
The lesson is not 'copy them'. It is that naming a shift is worth more than quietly building for it.
Whoever names the new thing owns the conversation about it.
Everyone else gets described in their words.
What shift in your world still has no name?
The move. Naming a category is a distribution move worth more than the tech; the namer owns the conversation.
One of the things Alex keeps saying about go-to-market distribution. See the rest →