Creating a brand differentiation

Interesting piece by Sohrab Vossoughi in BusinessWeek about standing apart from the competition.

Executives ask one question on an almost weekly basis: "How can I differentiate my company in the marketplace?" My reply to every president, chief executive officer, or vice-president of marketing is always the same: "Why do you want to be different?" We are swimming in an overabundance of products and services. "Different" is no longer a differentiator. What is? Creating an authentic relationship with your customers.

Who does a good job with this? Vossoughi says Starbucks does, Anthropologie does. How about your brand? How would you describe the relationship you have with your customers? When was the last time you pleasantly surprised them with an answer to a question, with a service they didn't expect - with anything?

Blogged with the Flock Browser