The power of difference

When developing a brand, difference is important. For two reasons.

It’s not only how we notice things (our brains are hardwired to spot difference), it is also a fundamental part of the process when people decide what to buy, and what not to buy.

Do they want cheap or sustainable, do they want traditional or contemporary, whitening toothpaste or gum protection, gloss paint or matt etc etc…  The more obvious a difference is, the easier it is for people to make a choice. Conversely, the more subtle differences are, the harder a choice becomes.

The examples above are pretty obvious differences, but the principles also apply when selecting products and services from businesses. When a marketplace is full of similar options with only subtle differences, it becomes harder for customers to choose.

Here’s a simple example: Imagine I offer you some fruit. You can pick between apples or mangoes. They’re quite different so that’s probably an easy choice. Let’s say you pick apples. Now, do you want Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, or Braeburn. This is a slightly more involved decision, but you probably know which you generally prefer (Braeburn right—who doesn’t?). Now imagine I offer you five different Braeburn apples and ask you to choose the best one. Suddenly this decision is more involved. You need to look at each apple in turn. Is one bigger, one bruised, or one shinier than the others. The decision becomes harder as the differences are less obvious.

Crowded marketplaces are no different. If you behave like the competition, look like them, speak like them and have a similar product (in the eyes of the customer), why should they choose you over the others? If you’re the established market leader then that’s all well and good, but if you’re not, how is being just like them going to help you increase your market share? And before you say “lower the price”, let’s take it as a given that no one want’s to start a race to the bottom*.

Your brand is how you can make the difference. The way you behave, the way to look, the language you use can all help create a perception to set you apart from the competition, even when you’re selling a similar product.

The Nintendo Wii is a good example of this. Before it launched video consoles all marketed themselves at a young male market. There were only subtle difference between the capabilities so the available games were a big factor in deciding which console you bought. Then came the Wii, and suddenly video games were accessible to whole families and all ages (even my gran had a go at Wii bowling). It was still a games console, but everything about it was different: How the product looked; how you played, how it was marketed. Not only was it different, but it out sold the PS3 and Xbox in the years after launch.

Now I’m not suggesting difference is the only reason people buy, and crucially you need to be the right kind of different (it has to be relevant to your audience), but in crowded markets, setting out a distinct offer based on solid reasoning can give you a competitive edge and help to build a strong brand.

If you’re wondering where to start, a great place to begin is by looking at what everyone else in your market is doing and see what opportunities there are to create some difference that will appeal to your audience and help you create the right perception (more on that here).

*When price is a factor—eg a deliberate low cost offer—you should still use your brand to create the perception of value in the mind of the audience and a credibly different option (easyjet vs ba as a quick comparison).