We’ve all heard the maxim “good artists copy; great artists steal,” but few of us know the writer from whom we’ve stolen this thought. Its closest roots trace back to poet T.S. Eliot: “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.”

Fewer still have honored Eliot by stealing effectively. The truth is great marketers don’t aim to steal execution; they steal the strategy behind it.

Remember when Samsung went through that phase of packaging its tablets to look surprisingly similar to Apple (while following suit with their icons, USB cords, power adaptors and more)?

You can’t usurp a brand’s success if you don’t understand the strategy behind it.

If you want to borrow from a company you admire, start first by determining why it is you actually admire them.

I buy my jeans from a company called Bonobos. I could probably find an equally great pair of jeans by visiting a mall, trying on 10 or 15 pair, or I could email Bonobos, tell them I’m tall and have a hard time finding pants that reach my ankles, and ask them to recommend me the best pair of jeans.

In return, I’ll get an emailed recommendation along with the promise of free shipping and free returns by way of included shipping labels. And while I’m adding their suggestions to my online cart, I might also come across an April Fool’s joke or be encouraged to write their “ninjas” for a good chili recipe. These are things, to me, that no mall can compete with–and for that, they’ve earned my loyalty.