“Done is better than perfect” is a common refrain among brand owners. And sure, for all the perfectionists among us, it bears remembering. The paralysis of perfectionism is the fastest death when it comes to momentum. But lately, it feels like “done” has dropped its ambition and donned the uniform of ambivalence instead.
“Done” is now a smokescreen for mediocrity, sneaking past the goalpost in plain clothes, hoping no one notices it’s got nothing to say. Minimum viable product? Sure. But…
…viable shouldn’t be shorthand for vanilla. Too many MVPs are functionally correct but culturally invisible. They get launched as a footnote, created to ship without any chance of ever sticking. We hear: “We’re just getting it out there.” But what we know they really mean is: “We’ll figure out who we are later.” To which we say: no one bookmarks the brand that’s still tbc on who they are.
In this rapid-fire climate, a soft launch is synonymous with a slow fade. You don’t get a second shot at a first impression. Not when the algorithm’s already moved on.
MVP Culture Has a Branding Problem.
Speed to market has become the gospel of the startup world. The mantra goes: get it live, launch lean, ship fast. Learn, edit, build on the fly. All of it makes sense, of course, until “fast” turns into “forgettable.”
Founders rush to clock wins, chasing “runs on the board,” treating brand as a bonus feature to add in version two. But without a distinct point of view from day one, there’s no pitch, no crowd, no momentum. Just a product in a sea of products.
Continue reading on our Substack, Public Opinion.
