Differentiation vs. Distinctiveness.
It’s a debate that’s been looping in marketing circles for years; so what’s our take?

In this episode Jack discusses the effectiveness of both concepts and shares how he talks about it with non-marketers.

In this episode Jack covers:

• The "Laptop Bag Story" that simply explains category entry points, distinctiveness, and differentiation
  
  
• How Uber could have theoretically used differentiation in the beginning of their growth, before utilising distinctiveness for further growth beyond a certain size
  
  
• How Kit Kat’s “Have a Break” is a distinctiveness play 65 years in the making
  
  
• Kantar’s data on when differentiation matters most in a brand’s lifecycle
  
  
• The category entry points Snickers are (probably) chasing right now
  
  And
  
  
• A simple framework for explaining these concepts to stakeholders, jargon-free

If you’ve ever struggled to simplify these distinctiveness and differentiation for non-marketers, or you want to solidify your own philosophy around these concepts, this episode will give you the stories, analogies, and data points you need.

This episode was hosted by:

Jack Ferguson - Host of The Push and Brand Strategist

Find Jack on LinkedIn here: Jack Ferguson | LinkedIn

Follow The Push on LinkedIn here: The Push: Overview | LinkedIn

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Visit The Push website here: For Senior Marketers...By Senior Marketers | The Push

Visit Jack’s personal website here: Jack Ferguson — Brand Strategist

Resources Mentioned:

Defending Differentiation Video: Mark Ritson on defending differentiation - IGNITE 2023

Category Entry Points Explanations and Case Studies: Category Entry Point Examples | CEP Case Studies And Inspiration

Brand Salience Definition: How to measure Brand Salience | Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science