Brand relevance, brand differentiation, and drivers are key components of the Brand Differentiation Analysis.

Brand Relevance
By being relevant, a brand is considered to be part of a customer’s buying process. A brand becomes relevant by offering features that customers consider important. These features meet a base level of expectations and send the message that the brand is credible. These base features might include good service, competitive pricing, or other positive attributes.

Because customers expect these base features, and competing offerings provide some variation of these features, they become antes. Antes permit the brand to be considered. Antes are not distinctive, and as a result are not unique from competitors.

Brand Differentiation
To become differentiated, a company must identify the features of its brand that extend beyond antes. These features are what make a brand truly unique and distinctive compared to competitive offerings. Look for what sets the brand apart. The absence of differentiation leads to price competition and low margins.

Although differentiation is critical, it is not a complete solution. Differentiated features must also be relevant to customers, or the brand still loses. “The most successful brands emphasize features that are both important to customers and quite differentiated from those of competitors.”¹ These types of features are called drivers.

Drivers can actually drive customer choice, causing a customer to select one brand over another.

Our Process
Our Brand Differentiation Analysis uncovers the antes and drivers:

• Identifies relevancy by interviewing and surveying customers regarding brand features
• Identifies drivers by analyzing competing offerings to identify the highly relevant features that are unique from competitors
• Classifies remaining brand features
• In cases where drivers do not exist, a Driver Creation Strategy may be developed

Combining antes, drivers, and other brand associations forms the foundation of a strong brand identity.

Put our team to work on a Brand Differentiation Analysis.