It’s a new world where consumers hold more power than before.

1. HOW TO TRULY
STAND OUT
BEYOND ADVERTISING

3. IS YOUR
INDUSTRY
CROWDED?

5. No industry is crowded with BUSINESSES. Industries
are crowded with COMPANIES; only a few of these
companies are real businesses.
The “notable” few are well differentiated. They took
the time to identify what truly separates them &
eventually their TRUE customers came to agree.

6. Cool words like “we’re unique” or “the best” are
simply immeasurable, egoistic descriptions of your
company which only become true if your customers
agree for example, if I love GUINESS, any advert
about Blue Lager claiming to be the best tasting
beer is nothing but noise to me.

7. In Uganda for example internet service providers
claim to be the fastest, the biggest, the clearest—
the truth therefore isn’t in the adverts, it’s on the
street; among the users not on the billboard.
There are brands with 10,000 PLUS “likes” on
Facebook but also a string of 12,000 negative
reviews on that same page, yes there’s noise but is
this really a “liked” brand?

8. True Liking comes from differentiating yourself.
Copy cats can survive for a while especially if they
have money to blow on advertising & mass
production but differentiation (if done right)
makes the real brand outlive the pretenders.

9. Differentiation means developing a product or
service with unique attributes that are valued by
customers and perceived to be better than or
different from others by the competition.
Most brands think they stand apart from the
competition in the eyes of customers but the truth
lies in the feedback you get from your target
market—not your beliefs.

10. Brands that succeed at differentiation usually
have one or a combination of;
 Leading scientific research,
 Highly skilled/creative personnel
 Strong sales force
 Strong reputation for quality and
innovation.

11. THE 3 KEY
BENEFITS
OF
DIFFERENTIATION

12. LOYALTY
Loyal customers are easily built which helps
to stabilize your revenue & reduce the
impact of market downturns; true loyalty
thrives in good times and bad.
The company must however continue to
deliver quality or value to consumers to
maintain loyalty

13. AUTHENTIC UNIQUENESS
Although competitors may have a similar product,
the differentiation strategy amplifies the quality or
design differences that other products don't have.
The business gains an advantage in the market, as
customers can clearly identify uniqueness regardless
of how many other companies have similar products
e.g. there are smart phones & then there’s the
IPHONE!
Authentic brands create a buzz following that even
outlives their founders!

14. ANY PRICE CAN DO
Your price won’t matter. If you are truly
different, your price will not really matter to
your loyal customers. They will pay what you
ask because they are sure of the value you offer
compared to other players.
Best examples; Apple, Mercedes, Armani, Coco
Chanel—there are people who fall back on rent
just to get “goodies” from their favorite brands

15. TALK IS CHEAP
 Your product design must match your claim
 Your location e.g. stores of choice, office,
distribution points must match YOUR claims
 Your team’s skills, professionalism e.t.c. must
represent your philosophy
 You must be picky about your audience especially
when communicating e.g. wording, choice of
media e.t.c

16. IS DIFFERENTIATION FOR YOU?
A differentiation strategy may not be ideal for every
brand; if the attribute you choose to focus on is not
valued highly enough by the market, you may not
shine e.g. speed is a factor in tech based products
like apps, telecom e.t.c. but functionality (up-time) &
customer service quality maybe what separates you
from the rest.
Most brands try to find the right balance by
competing on price, service and quality, or on any
combination of attributes that it believes are
important to its customers to gain a competitive
advantage. This is always the safest choice.

17. THOUGHTS?
PHILLIP BUYONDO
TWITTER: @PipBuyo
LINKEDIN: Phillip Buyondo
EMAIL: phillipbuyondo@gmail.com