The folks at Sunkist, the well-established orange brand, are sharp marketers with their slogan, ”An orange is an orange … unless it says Sunkist.” The real genius of Sunkist is how they positioned their brand by repositioning all other oranges that don’t have a Sunkist label on them as being something less than a Sunkist orange.
Simple as Sunkist makes it sound, this ”being different” thing is usually pretty damn hard.
Defining the ways you can be different from competitors — in ways that your customers and prospects want and appreciate – is positioning. When you position your brand you demonstrate a decisive advantage over the other options that your customers and prospects have to fill the need that you can also fill.
But when you grow oranges, how different can your’s really be from those being grown down the street? How different can the kaolin clay you’re mining really be from someone elses? Or, your water? Tires? Zippers? Air conditioners? Brokerage services? Hospital? Lawyering? Etc.
Very few businesses have no competitors, and differentiation from yours is vital. Consider the following areas in which to differentiate, but keep in mind whether your being different in a particular area has any real relevance and value to your audiences:
- Pricing strategies
- Shipping/delivery services
- Post-sale services
- Product features/benefits
- Pre-sale process
- Promotional tie-ins, sponsorships, community goodwill
- Product quality
- Support services
- Guarantees/warranties
- Packaging
- Others…
The mission is to give your customers and prospects a clear reason to do business with you instead of a competitor. Position your brand distinctively, and actively communicate those points of distinction through your brand touchpoints and you’ll draw in customers who were able to easily separate you from the pack.
It’s not easy, to be sure. But if you don’t actively position your brand, your competitors are likely to do it for you. Just ask the marketers at Sunkist.
