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Model Methods For Related Differentiation

Brand strategies for relevant differentiation

With the right design, brands promise their target customers relevant differentiated advantages.

The careful selection of the strongest advantages not only leads to brand preference, but also to brand stability. That means the brand is seen as the only viable solution for the customer's needs. In other words, the customer will not look for a replacement if the brand is not available. The brand sets a consideration of one.

To achieve this, the brand must have significant advantages. The optimal advantages for a brand are:

(1) very important for the target customer
(2) supported by organizational strengths
(3) not addressed by the competition

Ideally, the brand tries to "own" only one or two key benefits, as that's all a customer will remember. The benefits should be understandable, credible, unique and convincing.

In the Blake project's brand positioning workshops, we state the brand's promise as follows:

Only (brand) delivers (unique differentiation benefit) to (target customers) in (an era of)

In our work with more than 250 brands, we have uncovered the most common sources of brand differentiation (unique differentiation advantages):

  • The brand stands for something that is important to the customer: its values ​​match the values ​​of the customer. It strengthens the customer's self-image or how the customer wants to be perceived. It can serve as a "badge" or other form of self-expression
  • It has admirable properties
  • It offers unique or superior customer service
  • It offers a unique product purchase or usage experience
  • It is entertaining
  • It delivers superior performance
  • It is revered, has legacy (continuity, trustworthy leader, since …)
  • It is the technology leader
  • It has noble goals / values
  • It tells an exciting story about itself
  • Its founder has unique, admirable properties
  • It was the first – a pioneer – in its market
  • It is the most popular brand with the most customers or the largest market share
  • It's the innovator category
  • A positive dynamic is perceived
  • It is the most convenient or easiest to find and use
  • It focuses on a specific customer segment and has become an expert in meeting the requirements of that segment
  • It comes from a country or region that is known for its excellence in the brand's product category
  • It stimulates the senses through smell, sound, etc.
  • It is the leading expert / specialist in a specific area
  • It is the choice of the experts
  • It delivers the best total value for the price
  • The products are manufactured with great care by hand
  • The products are completely natural / organic with no artificial additives
  • His products have a unique, unrivaled styling / packaging
  • It is the epitome – it defines its category
  • It is determined by an important purpose for the customer
  • It is more visible and often with more points of contact than its competition
  • It is the conversation leader in the category
  • It has created more opportunities for its customers to participate in the brand (rituals, participation, community, etc.).
  • It is a leader in customer experience
  • It has built the strongest emotional connection
  • It has skills or core strengths that competitors don't have

The brand promise should be reinforced with evidence to support its claims, that is, to make them credible. The following are the most common types of evidence or reason to believe:

  • Expert comments
  • Top ratings from independent agencies
  • Top ratings / ratings from consumers
  • Industry analyst reports
  • Third Party Certifications
  • Customer list "Blue Chip"
  • What 9 out of 10 experts prefer / use
  • Customer references
  • Leadership in one of the following areas: number of customers, number of locations, number of transactions, total sales, market share
  • Side-by-side tests with competing brands
  • Looks different / feels different (ly)
  • Before and after comparisons
  • Year of foundation (since …)
  • Patented technology
  • Secret ingredients and formulas
  • Superior ingredients
  • Ingredient brands
  • Unique process
  • Extensive advertising
  • Unconditional money back guarantee

Successful brands differ considerably and constantly ask themselves:

1. What makes our offer understandable, credible, unique and convincing?
2. How does this difference affect those who are most important to our future?
3. What evidence do we need to have to support our claims? Is this evidence enough to satisfy the most demanding customer?

The Blake project can help differentiate your brand: just send us an email to learn more about how we can help you define the unique value your brand can have in the market.

Brand Strategy Insider is a service from The Blake Project: a strategic brand consultancy that helps brands create and communicate value through brand research, brand strategy, brand growth and brand building

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