What makes you different?
Now, what makes you exceptional?
This might feel like Brand 101, but these are some of the most important questions you can ask yourself about your B2B brand.
Differentiation versus distinction is a conversation that might raise some eyebrows… many of you, in fact, may even rightfully ask, “well, what’s the difference?”
Think of it like a high school yearbook: flipping through the pages, you can rightfully say that every classmate is unique in their own way. The quiet coder with thick-rimmed glasses and a gaming addiction, the charismatic debate champion, the overachiever juggling six AP classes and three varsity sports… that is differentiation.
Now, let’s focus on the memorable standouts and talk about yearbook superlatives: Most Likely to Become a Tech Billionaire? Best Public Speaker? Most Likely to Be Found Napping in the Most Unusual Places? That, my friends, is “distinction.”
Still puzzled? Let’s dive deeper into how this affects your B2B brand.
When talking about brand strategy and identity, most B2B marketers, CMOs and Heads of Brand default to differentiation. And that’s crucial. Your brand needs to feel unique among its competitors to stand out in an increasingly crowded business landscape.
Differentiation is about setting something apart from competitors by highlighting unique features, benefits, or attributes.
But here’s the catch – your brand can’t be too differentiated from your competitors either, or you risk confusing your audience and diluting your identity within your market. Your brand is part of an ecosystem consisting of other brands that offer similar products and services. Think of this as your market vertical. It’s like your friend group in high school – everyone’s unique, but there’s a shared DNA that binds you together.
Your brand should feel at home in this group, right? If you’re a financial services company, you should look, feel, and sound like a financial services company, not a lifestyle brand. But the million-dollar question becomes: How do you separate your brand from others within this group? Enter distinction.
Distinction isn’t just about being different—it’s about being recognized for something extraordinary.
It’s about becoming the brand that others measure themselves against. But how does a brand achieve this level of distinction? It happens when you transcend the typical markers of differentiation (features, benefits, pricing) and tap into something more fundamental: your brand’s core truth and purpose. This could manifest in various ways:
- Being the thought leader that shapes industry conversation
- Setting standards that others follow
- Solving problems in ways that become industry benchmarks
- Creating experiences that become the expected norm
- Developing a unique perspective that changes how people think about your category
At Fifteen4, we don’t just seek to differentiate your brand, we aim to transform it from the respected option to the inevitable choice.
This means not only understanding your unique features, benefits, and attributes but crafting a compelling narrative and brand experience around what makes you exceptional.
Make no mistake – discovering what makes your brand truly distinct is no simple journey. It requires deep insight into your market, business model, and long-term brand aspirations. Often, the best way to begin this quest for distinction (a process we always incorporate into our brand strategy and digital engagements) is through stakeholder interviews. These conversations with your colleagues and customers often reveal golden insights – breadcrumbs leading to the big idea that will elevate your brand and give you the competitive edge to drive your business forward.
Remember: Differentiation makes you unique; distinction makes you unforgettable.
Think back to that high school yearbook one last time. Twenty years later, no one remembers what brand of jeans the cool kid wore. But everyone remembers who won “Most Likely to Succeed.” Why? Because they didn’t just stand out – they stood for something.
So ask yourself: When your industry flips through its yearbook, what superlative would your brand win?