Authority comes from choosing unconventional projects

@metro.media.house3 on TikTok argues that A24 and a16z share a common strategy. They identify the tactic as backing "weird people" early to build a brand that carries significant weight. Both companies entered established industries and moved from being outsiders to becoming the most influential names in their respective fields.

Why it matters

Brand equity is often mistaken for a marketing budget. Most businesses believe that if they spend enough on ads, they can manufacture authority. This analysis suggests the opposite. Authority comes from a consistent appetite for risk. When you back an unconventional project, you signal that your taste is superior to the market average. This creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you choose the projects everyone else is too afraid to touch, you eventually become the only person people trust to do so.

For a business owner, this means your portfolio of work is your strongest lead generator. If you only take on safe, standard clients, your brand will remain invisible. You become a commodity. To move beyond that, you need to identify the niche that others find difficult or strange. It is not about being reckless. It is about being the first to recognise value in a space that others have not yet figured out. That recognition is what builds a name that does the heavy lifting for you.

What it changes in practice

For a Swiss company, this means your selection process matters more than your sales pitch. If you only serve the same clients as your neighbours in Zurich, you are competing on price. You cannot build a distinct name by doing what everyone else does well.

On Monday, you might find it harder to say yes to a project that feels slightly outside your comfort zone. You have to decide if a client's goal is just difficult or if it is actually unique. The goal is to find the latter.

If you choose the work others avoid because it is complex or niche, you stop being a service provider. You become a specialist. That shift is how you move from chasing leads to being the only logical choice for a specific type of problem.

What we would do

We identify the projects your competitors label as too risky or too niche. Most studios and agencies stick to proven templates because they are safe. Safety leads to price wars where the only variable is how much you can cut your margin. We look for the work that requires a specific, non-standard approach. By taking on these projects, we build a reputation for handling complexity that others cannot manage.

1. Identify the outlierWe select a project that sits outside standard industry norms to establish your unique position.
2. Define the niche authorityWe position your brand as the primary expert for that specific, difficult problem.
3. Build the name equityWe ensure your brand becomes a shorthand for a specific type of high-level result.

Most firms bid on every available brief to maintain volume. You choose the projects your competitors find too difficult to estimate. This shift moves your work from a price list to a position of authority.