Three Misunderstandings Easily Brought About By Differentiation In The Industry

We need to use differentiation to make us different, but one thing to note is that too much is too bad.

Nowadays, almost all workers engaged in brand management know the importance of differentiation. Whether from the brand level or from the product point of view, differentiation has become an important marketing feature. The truth is also very simple. When our customers enter the store, we have to face hundreds of fruit juices, beer, instant noodles, toothpaste and so on, so that they can finally choose our products, so that our products have a different reason. In short, we need to make the difference with the difference.

However, things always have two sides. When we praise a certain method, we should consider its applicability comprehensively. Recently, I heard that a liquor factory in China produced 15 degrees of super low alcohol liquor, and no one was interested in the local market.

Again, when Head and Shoulders swept the shampoo market with its distinctive features of dandruff, it now wants to reactivate its brand as a differentiated feature, but has encountered a lot of obstacles. This is of course a strategic problem for the whole brand to operate and sell, but the traditional advantage of "Dandruff" is being weakened, but it is an indisputable fact.

In view of the fact that many enterprises in the new year are eager to launch new brands, products and services, here are some points to note in the differentiation.

When do we need to differentiate?

There is a need to explain the growing popularity of "differentiation".

After the 80s of last century, the marketization of the European and American countries has been very mature, the competition is becoming increasingly fierce, the market is constantly subdivided and cut, and every market segment has many competitors, and the consumers are relatively mature. Their demand for products has gone beyond the needs of the basic functional level, reflecting a strong diversification and differentiation. At the same time, various advertisements have been dazzling.

Under such circumstances, consumers' attention and discrimination have become the first consideration of brands or products, so many enterprises have "differentiated" to an absolutely important level.

However, the situation in China is different. Our competition is becoming increasingly fierce, but it is far from being very fragmented. Many of our consumers are still most concerned about the main needs of the products.

For example, a mobile communications boss like China Mobile, who is ahead of its competitors in almost every marketing element, does not necessarily have to focus its strategy on finding differentiated operations. Instead, it should focus on improving its overall competitive strength, maximizing profits and preparing for meeting the challenges of competitors.

For example, it is also a large enterprise that produces washing products in China. The three brands of "Li Bai", "white cat" and "carving card" can not be differentiated by consumers in the recent consumer test, but this does not prevent the three brands from taking the lead in different areas of China.

It should be pointed out that sometimes no differentiation is also a competitive weapon.

Because in China's vast market stage, there are first-line, second-line, three line, four line markets, and there are differences between East and West, North and south. Many categories can exist in many areas and many competitors are safe. Even in the same category, there is great room for different products. After the introduction of some leading brands or the market's advocacy of some product concepts, there will be many brands or products that are flocking to find a place to follow the brand.

For example, in the health products market, with the increasing popularity of the concept of vitamins, only a few dozen brands of vitamins have appeared in almost three or four months in the first half of last year.

How to circumvent the misunderstanding of differentiation?

After introducing the above background, we can help us to understand some common misunderstandings. These are the problems we often encounter when we are observing brand differentiation or product differentiation.

The first mistake is that I can't use the characteristics of other brands.

At first glance, if the characteristics of other brands are used, if we still use them, it seems that they are not differentiated. But this view is not comprehensive.

For example, most brands in the market are talking about their washing power for washing powder brands. Once a detergent brand wanted to launch a new concept of "adding fragrance" detergent, but it was rejected after consumer testing, because consumers think it is not important, they still focus on washing power.

This also reminds us of the difference in determining what to use, which is mainly determined by the needs of consumers, followed by the current demands of competitors. For some categories, such as computers, cell phones, etc., the main factors that consumers consider may involve many different perceptual needs and functional requirements. We can find out relatively different characteristics of competitors. But for certain kinds of products, such as washing powder, soap, middle and low grade beer, and so on, they are all about a theme. This way of speaking and telling each month imbued the local consumers with a strong and outdated product functional feature, that is, "absolutely keeping fresh." It also reminds us that we must emphasize our own characteristics continuously.

Consumers are constantly changing and their needs are constantly improving. Therefore, when we introduce their brand characteristics, we must also keep pace with the times. At least from the perspective of performance, it will change frequently with the change of consumers' tastes.

The second mistake is that once differentiation is formed, it will be once and for all.

The United States has a classic "fresh-keeping film". brand Its advertising has been photographed for more than thirty years, and it has always been emphasized that it is absolutely fresh. In its initial advertisement more than 30 years ago, it means that a bowl of meat has been fresh for many days. In its latest advertisement last year, a large piece of fresh meat covered with this fresh-keeping film was placed in front of a hungry tiger. The tiger did nothing, because it could not smell a bit of meat.

It's all about a theme. It's a kind of annual and monthly way to inculcate a strong, outdated product feature of local consumers, that is, "absolute preservation". It also reminds us that we must emphasize our own characteristics continuously.

　　 Consumer They are constantly changing, and their needs are constantly improving. Therefore, when we introduce their brand characteristics, we must also keep pace with the times. At least from the perspective of performance, it will change frequently with the change of consumers' tastes.

The third mistake is: Differentiation Make brands or products safer in the market. Indeed, due to certain differences with competitors, consumers have more specific reasons to choose our products. It seems that "well water does not attack rivers" and our products are safer in the market. However, with the formation of differentiation, the real worry has just begun. For example, do consumers agree that such differentiation and differentiation can maximize profits, while we are grabbing the market share of competitors, they are also taking advantage of our territory. The loss of market share due to differentiation is everywhere. Last year, a domestic car once launched a household car with a look like a sports car. The result was not so good after listing, because consumers felt that it had neither the power of the sports car nor the affordable use of the economic vehicle. It is necessary to repeatedly demonstrate whether their differentiation characteristics can attract enough market potential, and constantly maintain this differentiation feature. We should always be alert to competitors' challenge to their core characteristics, learn to distinguish the change of consumer demand, learn to find different levels of differentiation, and even consider creating new differences. Choosing the strategy of differentiation means that enterprises are ready to challenge their competitors' market share and prepare to accept competitors' market challenges. With the deepening of marketization, our differentiated competition will become more and more intense.