A Step-by-Step Guide to Brand Differentiation
Few business leaders are genuinely comfortable standing out from the crowd.
It’s easy to reference the world’s most unique and recognized brands when briefing the marketing department or ad agency.
But when it’s time to dive into the creative work, courage often wanes, and leaders seek the safety of the middle ground.
The familiar herd mentality of sheep, where one feels safer in the center of the flock rather than exposed on the edge, is alive and well in the boardroom.
Many business leaders end up pushing brand development too far in the direction of copying the best players in the industry.
Everyone is looking for a formula that minimizes the risk of failure, misunderstanding, or ridicule, but no such formula exists.
It’s understandable that as a business leader, you might shy away from a rebranding that makes the company look distinctly different from competitors if it also feels risky and uncertain.
It’s a significant responsibility to bear toward shareholders and employees—a responsibility hard to comprehend if you haven’t experienced it yourself.
But this is like leaning back in ski boots when the slope gets too steep. Instinctively, it feels safer to slow down. Unfortunately, the inevitable outcome is a fall. In the same way, caution in the development phase leads to a lack of brand differentiation and an insufficient foundation for business growth.
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Brand Differentiation
Any company can create the brand differentiation needed to accelerate growth, regardless of its starting point.
It’s about following a focused, systematic process to build a unique and attractive brand.
Here’s the process I’ve followed for nearly 15 years:
Step 1. Genfortolkning af brand potentiale
You need to reinterpret and identify your brand’s unique potential.
What brand associations and attractive market position can you capture if you’re willing to make significant changes in the business?
If you believe that nothing can be changed—if product quality, service levels, culture, distribution, leadership, and organization are all fixed—then creating a stronger brand will be challenging.
After all, these are the elements that form the substance of brand differentiation.
Step 2. Developing a Unique Brand Identity
You need to develop a unique brand identity that can unlock the brand’s potential.
What vital mission, personality, style, tone, expression, and voice can you authentically adopt?
A unique brand identity must offer significant value to customers, employees, and society alike.
Step 3. Mission-Driven Brand Activation
You need to activate the unique brand identity in the market so the brand stands out distinctly from competitors.
Develop and continuously execute creative marketing that captures attention and makes the brand top-of-mind among your target audience.
What signature actions and stories can you create based on the brand’s mission to strengthen credibility around your brand differentiation?
Step 4. Leveraging Brand Equity
Consistently monitor, protect, and capitalize on your unique, strong brand for business purposes.
What new sales and marketing activities can increase revenue from existing products?
What new customer types, geographic markets, and entirely new product categories can you pursue, based on the brand’s new, more appealing market position?
Are you ready to break away from the herd and build the unique and strong brand that serves as the essential foundation for accelerating your company’s growth?
