The two Ds and which matters more

No, I’m not talking about a unique bra size, instead I speak of brand differentiation and distinctiveness. Two tools that businesses use to try and make themselves stand out from the crowd. Since their naming some forty years ago, there has long been a debate over which matters more for business success, there has also been some debate over what exactly they both mean. Let’s have a look shall we?

The two Ds and what they mean

Brand differentiation occurs after a company has decided what it wants its positioning to be based on its unique selling proposition. Many marketers take brand differentiation as gospel as they try and make sure their brand is perceived differently to competitors.  Think Amazon with its promise of the widest selection of products at the lowest prices and greatest delivery convenience possible.

Brand distinctiveness on the other hand is more tactical. Here, it is about obtaining a more unique look and feel, so that customers don’t mistake you for competitors. Think McDonald’s, with its giant yellow M logo. To achieve brand distinctiveness, companies tend to consistently use distinctive brand assets such as logos, colour palettes, fonts, images and words and even taglines.

Which is more important?

One might think that brand differentiation is crucial, as the way customers perceive your brand in relation to your competitors is all that matters. If you’re Nike, you want people to know that you’re all about overcoming weaknesses, whereas if you’re Adidas you want customers to know that you’re all about creativity in sport.

However, if you stop and think about it, before I mentioned what their core positions were, were you aware that that was what both brands stood for? Or, were you more aware of the two companies based off their world famous logos. The famous white tick for Nike or the Adidas cone. 

If the latter, then you, like many others, fit into the findings of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute who found that customers didn’t care how a brand was different, they cared about whether they remembered the brand.

And how did the brands become distinct? By using a unique logo or colour palette that caught customers attention.

Sticking in the mind of a customer by being distinct has helped companies such as Nike, Adidas and Coca Cola thrive in overly crowded markets. Why? Because even if customers don’t know what the company stands for, they can remember what it looks like and from there can make an active decision about whether to buy their products.

It’s a funny little quirk of the human brain.

However, it’s not all one-way

Marketer Mark Ritson believes that those who think you must choose either differentiation or distinctiveness have no idea what they’re talking about. 

Indeed, Ritson uses the example of KitKat to show how a company can effectively use both differentiation and distinctiveness to make an impact on customers. He points to the effectiveness of the company’s ‘have a break, have a KitKat’ in positioning the chocolate bar as the go-to break food in customer’s mind, as effective brand differentiation and distinctiveness in one. How? Its repeated use over the past fifty or so years has embedded it into the customer psyche that when they want a break, they need a KitKat, no other brand will do. Differentiation. At the same time, that single strapline has made the chocolate distinct through repetition. 

Reinforcing this is the iconic white and red lettering and packaging that is used for KitKat bars which has become synonymous with the chocolate. Ritson argues that when most people think of red and white and chocolate they immediately go to KitKat, because of just how distinct it is.

So, what’s the answer?

In short, there is no clear answer as to whether differentiation or distinctiveness is the way to go. Perhaps suggesting that a combination of both, as KitKat has done, is the way forward. Ultimately, it depends on what your brand does and where it is based and who its customers are. Once you know that, only then should you form a strategy.