The advantage of distinction

It is possible to find copy cats doing relatively well, but largely speaking, they’re not up to the mark when it comes to spearheading the market. Differentiating yourself from the competition in a distinctive manner is a very important part of branding.

That doesn't necessarily mean that the more pronounced your difference from the competition is, the better. But it naturally helps to understand the competition as much as possible, so you know exactly what it is that you are differentiating yourself in relation to. In a conservative world where everything is dark blue, the light blue will stand out prominently, and that could make the visual difference you’re looking for. Of course, this is in addition to everything else you do to present yourself. If a bank decided that all of its employees were to wear clown make-up, enormous shoes and red noses, they would surely get attention but would it be the right kind of attention? It’s not enough to do the things you like: you need to do the things your target group likes. That’s why the difference needs to come from within as a natural consequence of who you are and who you want to be, and not based solely on novelty to make you stand out from the crowd.

Branding doesn't stop

It’s normal for companies to take the products or services they already have as their starting points when distinguishing themselves from the competition: the cheapest; the most powerful motor; the most energy-saving solution; the only one with no sugar whatsoever. The important thing to remember is that all of the touchpoints you already have with your customers can be part of this differentiating work, from the first moment the customer realises he or she needs something or other up to the point when the product is thrown out or the service stopped.

A confession

Whether I should be proud of it – or simply embarrassed – I don't know, but I've had a weakness for Apple since the 1980s. At the time, they managed to set themselves apart, and they have been conspicuously expert at remaining in that position ever since. Perhaps it was the consistent user-friendliness that appealed to me. If you had to use a PC back then, you often felt like you needed to think your way through so much other stuff before you could actually use the machine. The Nokia mobile was another product that was easy to use – for one thing it was great for texting – in contrast to some of its competitors. Nokia and Apple are brands that have accompanied me throughout the years, right up to the point when the iPhone entered the field and the two brands collided with a bang. That was when I chose sides and my faithful old Nokia disappeared into the bottom of the cupboard uttering a final convulsive da-di-da-da da-di-da-da da-di-da-da da. Nokia went into the night while the iPhone came into the light and has since grown into a status symbol of huge proportions.

he remarkably different fates of these two companies demonstrate that distinguishing yourself from the competition isn’t an exercise you do once and then you’re done with: it’s a continuous process that can’t be left to chance. Of course, it also depends on the sector you occupy, or which universe you operate in, but it can be a good rule of thumb to actually be different from the competition and not just go around claiming that you are.

How do you stand out from the crowd?

There are countless ways in which brands can distinguish themselves. Here are 12 of them:

Purpose. Live up to the company’s fundamental values and be clear on what you stand for. There is nothing more inspiring than a company that stands for something positive which is perceived as coming from within. It could manifest itself in the form of concrete enterprises in areas such as the environment, sustainability, or employee initiatives, but it could also be the opinions and ambitions belonging to the founder that set the company apart. Think about Elon Musk, for example, and the sort of big ideas that drive his projects.
Become the expert. When you stand out in YOUR area of expertise as the one everyone wants to talk to – or learn from – a great deal can be achieved. Besides, experts can earn a little more.
Price is priceless. There are countless ways to use pricing. Right now we see how POWER uses price robots to guarantee the lowest prices and digital price posters that can be changed quickly according to requirement. Then again, other players can be really successful when putting prices UP to signal quality.
Affiliation and belonging. Belonging to a group, a club or a collection of like-minded people can set you apart from the others who don’t belong to that group. On the subject of affiliation, REMA’s “best friend” strategy and Æ app certainly had ambitions in that direction, but they are now regarded as being particularly bad attempts at achieving them. Presumably, somewhere along the way REMA forgot that it wasn’t just a bunch of selected suppliers who were their “best friends,” but all of their customers…
Create a unique shopping experience. This can be achieved in a number of ways. IKEA presents a multitude of rooms with interior design solutions of appeal to their target groups. If customers can walk through a gigantic store and then slip into a cubicle where they feel right at home, then the retailer has managed to create a shopping experience that feels right.
Become atypical of your own segment. There are plenty of unwritten rules applying to various market segments: you can easily stand out from the crowd by breaking one or two of them. The important thing is not to break rules just for the hell of it, but to break the right rules - for the right reason.
Provenance and heritage. There are many good examples of geographical differentiation. Coffee and wine producers are often unique by way of their geographical location, partly because that is the very thing that creates a flavour unlike anything else. Here at Mission, we experience the advantages of being geographically unique through our client BAMA Storkjøkken (BAMA Food Services), who can offer Bergdal strawberries, Hvasser asparagus, and Skjærgaard spring onions (to name just a few examples) as part of their drive towards using local food. Swiss clocks and Norwegian salmon are examples of how countries of origin can be used to create differentiation.
Innovation. Floating eggs, custom-made screw tops, and seat belts are all creative examples of beneficial products that have helped to distinguish individual brands. Moreover, innovation can be emphasised by the way one describes a trademark. AEG introduced a concept by taking out a patent on the expression Wool Cradle, which created the association of wool being better off in their machines than elsewhere. The word “rollover” is currently a characteristic term within the mobile sector, although it was adopted so quickly by a number of players that it is no longer suitable to be used as a means of differentiation. If you can manage to create a new – and sensible – category, you can suddenly have your own market…For as long as it lasts.
A good story. Companies can set themselves apart from the crowd by telling us, for example, how they succeeded against all the odds. To be a David that has battled and won ground against a Goliath could be a story worth telling. Take a Jobs and a Wozniak for instance, and their road from Dad’s garage to world supremacy.
Simplicity and comfort. One way of making yourself different is by simplifying things for the customer. Digital and revolutionising " disruptors " pop up in all business sectors to change the prevailing rules of the game. Companies like Airbnb and Uber change and simplify the world and have pretty good stories to tell besides (see previous point). There are large bonuses to be had by those who succeed in making their customers’ lives a little easier.
Surprise and shock. Few brands can get away with the tactic of shocking those around them. When photographer Oliver Toscani took charge of Benetton’s artistic tone, we got a colourful mixture of politicians kissing each other, ditto religious leaders from different faiths, a monk kissing a nun, a homosexual couple, hermaphrodites and amputees, a newborn baby still attached to its umbilical cord, a white child being breastfed by a black woman, a prisoner on death row, animal sex (two horses in fact!), boat refugees, an electric chair and a dying AIDS patient. Controversial stuff, even for the most liberal-minded. Not many other brands would dare to do the same.
Be personal. Use a personal voice; put yourself forward; show the world who you are; be a brand that gives something back to society and those around you. In that way you’ll be able to please more than just the millennial generation .

These are just some of the ways you can set yourself apart. Brand differentiation is the single best investment of resources to get your name recognized, increase brand loyalty, and engage with your target audiences. And if you are clever enough, perhaps you’ll be able to differentiate yourself in a way that differentiates you from all of the others.