We’ve been drawing on Byron Sharp’s work at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute to help explain how brands can grow to become market leaders. Let's break down the difference between differentiation and distinctiveness, and which of the two unlocks the potential for true brand innovation.

1. BeDistinctive,Not
Different

2. Brandsunlockvaluable
creativitywhenthey
haveasystem.

3. Weusedhardscienceto
seehowthissystemcan
besuccessful.
Check out our blog post here.

4. We’llbebreakingdownthe
differencebetween
differentiationand
distinctiveness.

5. Whichofthetwounlocks
thepotentialfortrue
brandinnovation?

6. Let’sbegin.

7. DIFFERENTIATION
VS.
DISTINCTIVENESS

8. a brand’s ability to stand out so that buyers can easily identify it
(a brand looking like itself)
DIFFERENTIATION DISTINCTIVENESS
Whatisbranddifferentiationandbranddistinctiveness?
there is a different perceived meaning behind every brand
(the “reason to buy” for the consumer)

9. DISTINCTIVENESS
MarketX
DIFFERENTIATION
MarketX

10. Shouldbrandsaimtobedifferentordistinctive?

11. Foryears,marketershave
beentoldtodifferentiate
themselves,lesttheirbrand
faceeternaldoom.

12. However,researchhasshown
thatbrandperceptionscores
actuallytendtobequitesimilar.

13. “Consumerssimplydon’tperceive
brandswithinacategoryasbeing
particularlydifferent.”
— Byron Sharp, How Brands Grow

14. Sowhatdoesthat
meanforbrands?

15. Brands shouldn’t pour
money into appearing
different, or creating a
category apart from their
competitors, as customers
don’t need to see
differentiation to buy into
a brand.

16. BE DISTINCTIVE

17. Distinctivenessisfarmorecritical
forbrands,astheyneedcustomersto
quicklynotice,recognize,andrecall
theirbrandoverothers.

18. Howcanabrandbedistinctive?

19. Distinctiveelementsshow
customerswhatbrand
somethingis.

20. DistinctiveBrandElements
COLORS TAGLINES
CELEBRITIES
LOGOS
SYMBOLS ADVERTISING STYLES

21. Theseelementsarecritical,as
theyplaytotheneuroscience
thathelpsconstructand
reinforcememories.

22. UNIQUENESS
AND
PREVALENCE

23. the majority of customers link your
brand to your brand element
UNIQUENESS PREVALENCE
Inestablishingbrandelements,brandsshouldaimfor:
customers don’t associate a brand’s assets
with those of a competitor

24. Moreon
uniqueness
If a brand element is unique to
your brand, every time a customer
sees it, they can strengthen the
memory structure linking that
element to your brand, increasing
likelihood of buying in the future.
Uniqueness simply makes your
brand more identifiable.

25. Uniqueness

26. Moreon
prevalence
Prevalence can’t be built
overnight, or with one single
instance. The element-to-brand
link, which signals a brand to a
consumer, is built through
consistency over time.

27. Prevalence

28. Uniquenessandprevalence
togetherhelpestablish
branddistinctiveness.

29. Distinctivebrands,inturn,
arethoughtofmoreoften
andareabletoachieve
greatermarketshare.

30. Ultimately,then,such
positioningcanhelpbrands
growtheircustomerbases
inthelongrun.

31. THE WRAP-UP

32. Whathavewelearned?
1. Brands should aim to be distinctive, rather than different
Brands must establish distinct brand elements in order to win in the marketplace.

33. Whathavewelearned?
1. Brands should aim to be distinctive, rather than different
Brands must establish distinct brand elements in order to win in the marketplace.
2. Uniqueness and prevalence help establish distinctiveness
Brands must consistently and relentlessly uphold those brand elements over time,
in order to create a retrievable impression in consumer’s memory.

34. Youcanreadthefullstoryonhowto
growyourbrandonthePercolateblog:
Be Distinctive, Not Different

35. Percolate is The System of Record for Marketing.
Our technology helps the world's largest and fastest-growing
brands at every step of the marketing process.
Want to learn more?
Contact learn@percolate.com for more information
or request a demo today at percolate.com/request-demo
Kat Gebert
Kat Gebert is on the Product Marketing team
at Percolate.