I wrote this piece while preparing for a brand strategy planning session for a growing consumer product brand. From what I’ve seen, this ongoing dilemma among entrepreneurs and marketers is sometimes more clearly spelt out: Should we focus on being distinctive or just different enough?

This topic is frequently discussed in management meetings, strategy planning sessions, and chats with brand and creative agencies. Even though executives might not say it outright, this tug-of-war between standing out and being unique in the market often pops up differently. It’s true that when it comes to growing a brand, businesses usually have two main strategies: building on distinctiveness or finding differentiation. Understanding the intricacies of these two approaches can help top executives nail down a solid brand growth strategy.

So, what is distinctiveness?

In his book How Brands Grow, Byron Sharp explains that distinctiveness is the unique thing that makes a brand stick in your mind. It’s about creating standout elements—like logos, colours, packaging, and even how we advertise—that make a brand memorable and recognisable.

Sharp argues that distinctiveness creates substantial mental and physical availability by leveraging distinctive brand assets.

Distinctive Brand Assets

Distinctive brand assets are recognisable elements such as logos, colours, packaging, taglines, and sounds that make a brand easily identifiable.

These assets are critical in creating mental shortcuts that help consumers remember and choose a brand over others. According to Sharp, successful brands focus on consistently building and reinforcing these assets.

Three Principles for Better Mental Availability

Consistency: Maintaining consistent use of brand assets across all touchpoints to ensure they become ingrained in consumers’ minds.

Repetition: Repeated exposure to the brand assets to enhance recognition and recall.

Simplicity: Keeping brand assets simple and easy to remember.

Some Examples of Brands Built on Distinctive Brand Assets

Colgate: The red and white packaging, the Colgate logo with its unique font, and the association with dental care.

Gillette: The blue and silver colour scheme, the Gillette logo featuring the iconic G, and advanced shaving technology

Nescafe: The red Nescafé logo, the instantly recognisable jar or packaging design, and the aroma of Nescafé coffee.

Maggi: The bright yellow and red packaging, the Maggi logo with its bold font, and the association with quick and easy meal solutions.

Physical availability

Physical availability is all about making sure your products are available for people to grab when shopping. Many new D2C brands need help with this compared to big names like Unilever, P&G, Nestle, ITC, and Cadbury. These traditional guys have their products everywhere, in every store you can imagine. However, many D2C brands are mostly online, which is excellent, but they only reach a small part of the market.

Critical Aspects of Physical Availability:

I wanted to share four focus areas on what makes physical availability so crucial for brands.

1. Distribution Strategy: First off, it’s all about how your products get out there. You’ve got to have solid connections with retailers, wholesalers, and even online shops to make sure your stuff is easy to find everywhere

2. Shelf Presence: Then there’s the shelf game. Getting your product front and centre in stores, like right at eye level or on those end-cap displays, boosts visibility and makes people more likely to pick it up.

3. Stock Levels: Keeping enough stock is critical, too. Nothing’s worse than wanting something and finding it’s sold out. It’s about building customer trust by always being there when they need you.

4. Geographic Reach: And remember to reach different places. Whether it’s cities, small towns, or even new markets, the more places your product is available, the more chances you have to connect with all kinds of customers.

Differentiation Strategy

I wanted to talk about differentiation and what makes it excellent for brands.

So, it’s all about standing out by positioning a brand based on unique attributes or benefits that set it apart from competitors.

This strategy offers something distinct regarding product features, quality, customer service, or brand values that resonate with a specific target audience.

Types of Differentiation

1. Product differentiation: offering unique features, quality, or technology. You’ve got GoPro with its rugged, waterproof designs and all those cool features for capturing action. That’s product differentiation in action. I considered mentioning the Apple iPod here, but many of you might find it boring since I often use this brand as a case study.

2. Service differentiation: providing exceptional customer service or support.  Brands like Taj Hotels, Starbucks, and Domino’s Pizza go above and beyond with excellent customer service. They make you feel valued and keep you coming back.

3. Price Differentiation: Competing on cost by offering lower prices or better value for money. Price-wise, think of Reliance Jio. They shook up the telecom scene by offering super-affordable data and call plans. It’s all about giving more bang for your buck. But still, many of Airtel’s loyal customers, like me, have not switched to Jio. (That’s a story for another day.)

4. Brand Image Differentiation: Creating a unique brand identity or persona that appeals to specific values or lifestyles. Johnnie Walker nails it with their vibe of progress and heritage, summed perfectly in their “Keep Walking” motto. That kind of brand identity sticks with people.

When brands go for differentiation, they often charge a bit more.

It’s because consumers see their products as unique and unlike anything else.

So they’re willing to pay a premium for that uniqueness.

This is a thought for entrepreneurs and marketers: consumers aren’t looking for something drastically different in some product categories, especially everyday items.

If they remember your brand and it’s easy to pick up when they need it, that’s often all it takes to seal the deal. That’s why brands like Colgate, Vim, and Dettol ensure you always see them around and can quickly grab them.  It’s a simple strategy of being memorable and physically available, which keeps them ahead in the market. Remember Coca-Cola’s approach to distribution: “Keep it within arm’s reach.” It’s about being there when people want it—straightforward and convenient. Both distinctiveness and differentiation offer viable paths for brand growth but require different thinking.