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Differentiation – Why Isn’t It Easier?

Written September 28, 2011  |  Updated 9/28/2011
CXO Corner
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By Gavin Finn, Ph.D., President & CEO

We have the privilege of working with marketers from many of the world’s leading companies. It seems to me that it is becoming more and more difficult to develop crisp, well-understood, and accurate marketing differentiation messaging, even for market leaders. This is, in part, due to the increasingly competitive landscape, where product portfolios have become broader over time, and functional overlap has replaced distinctive capabilities. Another contributing factor is how numerous companies have expanded into multiple markets, diluting their once-unambiguous positioning.

Differentiation is the process of clearly articulating an objectively defined difference in a product, service, or company – a difference that is meaningful and valuable to the intended market. (What we may think of our differences is far less important than what our customers and prospects think.)

Do you honestly know what your clear and unequivocal differentiation is?