Brand Building 101: Differentiate or Disappear

Ever wonder why you’re drawn to certain brands over others? Think Nike vs Adidas, Apple vs Samsung, Starbucks vs Dunkin. All of these companies are masters of differentiation, each carving out their space in the market with unique differentiators to appeal to their target audience. They don’t just offer products—they offer identities, lifestyles, and experiences that draw their customers to them like a magnet.

So, what exactly is a differentiator, and why will it make or break your brand? Differentiators are those features and attributes that make your brand special. They answer the critical question: Why should my customers choose my brand over my competitors? Failing to differentiate can lead to your brand disappearing into the vast sea of sameness, while effective differentiation can lead to lifelong customers and a brand presence that puts you head and shoulders above the competition. 

While determining what makes your brand different may seem simple, there are actually quite a few things to consider when you’re identifying the differentiators. It’s not just about what makes your brand different—it’s about what makes your brand different in a way that matters to your customers. 

Keep reading to learn the rules of successful differentiation, how to determine your brand’s differentiators, and how to create a solid position statement based on those differentiators that will serve as your brand's true North when it comes to building strategy and visual identity.

Three Rules for Differentiation

1. Your differentiators need to be true.

Don’t write checks your brand can’t cash. Seems simple, right? But time and again we see brands make the mistake of promising what they can’t deliver. Identifying things that appeal to your audience is a great start, but your differentiators can’t just be about optics. They must be built into the fabric of your organization. Making good on your brand promise is the difference between lifelong customers and 1-star reviews. 

2. Your differentiators need to matter to your audience.

It's not enough to list all the great things about your products and services. If those things aren’t what resonates with your audience, then they won’t be what makes sales or gains your clients. Focus on what truly matters to your customers. For example, if you're a popcorn brand with the lowest prices on the market but your customers care more about unique flavors, your differentiator should be your variety of flavors, not the low price. Differentiation should align with what your audience values most, not simply what you personally think is the best thing about your product or service.

3. Your differentiators need to go beyond visuals.

Differentiation isn’t just about looking different—it’s about being different in meaningful ways. Even the best-designed visual identity won’t stand out without substance behind it. That’s why it’s crucial to have a solid brand position before developing a visual identity. Consider the full customer experience—how do your differentiators extend through every touchpoint beyond just your visual identity? What kind of experience can you give your customers that will set you apart from the competition? Effective differentiation permeates every aspect of the customer journey and should be holistic and intentional. Setting this foundation is key before you dive into choosing things like colors and fonts.

How to Determine Your Brand’s Differentiators

Features & Attributes

Start by assessing what your brand is capable of doing and consider how these can be leveraged. This involves a deep dive into what your brand offers and how it compares to others in the industry. What makes your product or service unique? What story are you telling about your brand? What are the unique attributes of your brand that cannot be easily replicated by competitors? What are you providing your customers both functionally and emotionally? 

Functional benefits would be ways in which your brand solves tangible problems for your customers, like quality, performance, or price. Emotional benefits are ways in which your brand appeals to your customers’ values, aspirations, and desires. They evoke emotions that make customers feel more personally aligned with your brand, like joy, confidence, pride, trust, or safety. Both functional and emotional benefits work in tandem with each other to create lasting customer loyalty. A SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) can be a valuable starting point in this process. 

Competitor Research

Understanding your competitors is an essential part of establishing your differentiators. Thoroughly research your competitors in your industry—brands that make the same products or offer the same services, brands that offer different products or services but fulfill the same customer need, and emerging brands that could become competitors in the future. Then, look at each of these brands and identify what makes them successful and where they fall short.

Is there a gap in the market that you can fill? Look for pain points in their processes and ask yourself how your brand can better address those pain points. Focus on unique attributes of your brand that cannot be easily replicated by competitors. Evaluate how your competitors manage their customer relationships and analyze reviews and ratings on platforms like Facebook and Google. What do their customers love about them? What are the common complaints?

Customer Research

You can’t appeal to everybody. In fact, if you try to appeal to everybody, you’re more likely to appeal to nobody! That’s why customer research is so important to determining brand differentiators. Who is your ideal customer? What are their preferences, behaviors, aspirations, values, and pain points? What are their unmet needs, and how does your brand meet them?

Start by defining who your customers are by segmenting them into distinct groups based on demographics (age, gender, income, education, occupation, etc.), psychographics (lifestyle, values, interests, attitudes), geographics (location, climate, urban or rural setting), and behaviors (buying habits, product usage, decision-making processes).

Create customer personas to represent your ideal audience. A customer persona should include demographic information, behavioral traits, pain points, goals and aspirations, and preferred channels of engagement with brands (i.e., social media, email, in-store, etc.).

Create Your Brand Positioning Statement

Once you’ve identified your differentiators it’s time to wrap them up into a neat package with a bow on top! That package is called your brand positioning statement. A brand positioning statement is a clear, concise statement that communicates who you are, what makes you different, what you offer, who you serve, and, most importantly, why.  It’s a simple way for your customers to know at a glance what you’re about and if your brand is for them.

Examples of effective brand positioning statements

Nike

"For athletes in need of high-quality, fashionable athletic wear, Nike offers customers top-performing sports apparel and shoes made of the highest quality materials. Its products are the most advanced in the athletic apparel industry because of Nike's commitment to innovation and investment in the latest technologies."

Chipotle

"Chipotle provides premium, real ingredients for customers looking for delicious food that's ethically sourced and freshly prepared. Chipotle's dedication to cultivating a better world by cutting out GMOs and providing responsibly raised food sets them apart in the food industry."

JetBlue Airways

“For travelers across the U.S., the Caribbean and Latin America and between New York and London, JetBlue is a leading airline choice that puts customer safety and comfort first. With features like the most legroom in coach, free Fly-Fi and award-winning customer service, JetBlue is on a mission to bring humanity back to air travel.”

Dropbox

“Most productivity tools get in your way. They constantly ping, distract, and disrupt your team’s flow, so you spend your days switching between apps and tracking down feedback. It’s busy work, not the meaningful stuff. We want to change this. We believe there’s a more enlightened way to work. Dropbox helps people be organized, stay focused, and get in sync with their teams.’’

Levis

“For the denim wearer looking for a fashionable and durable pair of jeans, Levis is the original inventor of the blue jean and brings 150 years of manufacturing experience to every pair. Unlike other jean manufacturers, Levis adheres to a strong set of values: empathy, originality, integrity, and courage.”

Find your brand’s differentiators with Quill

Differentiation isn’t just a marketing strategy—it’s a necessity. 

At Quill, we specialize in helping brands find their unique differentiators and stand out in a crowded marketplace. Our tried and true process for creating successful brand strategies is designed to uncover your unique, meaningful differentiators and craft a brand identity that truly reflects your brand and all that it represents. 

Whether you're looking to rebrand, refresh your existing brand, or build a new one from the ground up, Quill is here to guide you to success.

Ready to differentiate your brand? Let’s chat!