references/canon/sharp.md

# Sharp

## Principle

For many established consumer categories, growth often depends heavily on acquiring more buyers, maintaining broad reach, and being easy to notice and buy in category buying situations.

## Use when

- A mature brand is over-focusing on tiny loyalty segments.
- Penetration, reach, recognition, or availability may be the growth constraint.
- The team needs to distinguish distinctive assets from message novelty.

## Do not over-apply

- Do not universalize consumer packaged-goods findings to every B2B, high-consideration, marketplace, local, or constrained-capacity model.
- Broad reach is not useful when distribution, product readiness, or economics cannot support it.

## Decision questions

- Is growth constrained by penetration, frequency, value, retention, or availability?
- How many category buyers can the brand actually reach and serve?
- Which assets aid recognition?
- What buying situations should bring the brand to mind?

## Counterweight

Use tighter targeting when economics, sales motion, product fit, geography, regulation, or operational limits make broad reach wasteful.

## Sources

- `source:sharp-how-brands-grow`