Tips for Brand Differentiation Strategies

You’re just 1 of 100,000+ brands in travel + hospitality. So, why should customers pick you? 🤔 That’s where your brand positioning comes in. It shows customers why you’re the perfect fit for them! Take Selina, for example. People see them as the ultimate go-to for digital nomads and travelers who want to mix work, play, and a sense of community. They’ve got it all—accommodations, coworking spaces, wellness activities, and a taste of the local culture. Selina has their brand positioning down as it: → Tells their dream customers how they’re different from the rest. → Highlights the awesome benefits they offer customers. → Shows why their solution is the perfect match. No wonder Selina is one of the top 10 up-and-coming travel brands! So how can you also position your brand as the top choice for customers? Start with a Brand Positioning Statement (BPS). Your BPS is like your brand’s elevator pitch—it showcases what makes you unique and sets the tone for all your messaging, marketing, and sales. Here’s the simple framework I use with my clients to nail their BPS: To [your ideal customer], who [problem they face], we are [your category], that provides [your solution]. Unlike [competitor and what they do ineffectively], we offer [your unique value]. Let’s see how Selina would fill in the blanks ⤵ To digital nomads and travelers who crave a mix of work and adventure in new places, we are a hybrid hospitality brand that offers handpicked spaces combining coworking, comfy stays, and local experiences in vibrant communities worldwide. Unlike hotels that only focus on a place to sleep, we create an environment that supports productivity while letting you soak in new cultures and have a blast. Selina’s position is successful because they get their audience, know where the competition falls short, and hone in on their unique value! If you don’t define your brand position, you’re leaving customers’ perceptions up to chance. And let’s be real—chance isn’t exactly the best brand strategy. 👉🏾 Do you actively shape the way your customers see you? How? >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Hi, I’m Sarah 🙋🏾♀️ I share: ✨ Actionable brand strategies to help travel, hospitality, & culture entrepreneurs attract their dream tribe. ❤️ this post? Follow and hit the 🔔 for more! 🎥 Selina

Some brands are slapping AI on their marketing like a shiny sticker — it looks modern, but it doesn’t mean anything. Seeing so many brands use AI in their taglines at a conference I attended recently and then seeing Dove publish AI role with real beauty got me thinking about how as brand leaders, we need to frame the role of AI into our brand strategy. If you’re a CMO or brand leader, here’s the question to ask: Can AI help us deliver our brand promise better than anyone else — and make that difference obvious to customers? If the answer’s yes, you’ve got something worth building. If the answer’s no, you’re just playing with toys and you have more work to do with your team. Here’s a framework I’ve been playing with to make AI work harder — not just for productivity, but for true brand differentiation, ie. adding value. As a placeholder, I am calling it the A.I.D.E.A. Framework: A — Anchor in Your Brand Promise Start with what you stand for — your why. AI should enhance your ability to deliver that promise, not distract from it. Ex: Dove used AI to uphold its Real Beauty values, creating standards to fight unrealistic beauty filters. I posted about this yesterday. I — Identify Distinctive Touchpoints Pinpoint the moments where your brand naturally stands apart in the customer journey. Then ask: where could AI enhance that difference? Ex: Pedigree used AI to turn everyday ads into hyper-local dog adoption campaigns. D — Design On-Brand Experiences Your AI outputs (interfaces, language, tone, visuals) should feel unmistakably like you. AI can scale your brand voice — if you train it right. Ex: L’Oréal’s beauty assistant reflects their expertise and inclusivity, not just product recs. E — Execute Transparently and Ethically Build trust into your AI strategy. Be clear with consumers when and how AI is used — and why it benefits them. Ex: Salesforce emphasized data security and transparency as core features of Einstein GPT. A — Amplify with Storytelling Showcase how AI deepens your promise. Don’t just say “we use AI” — say what it lets you do for people that no one else can. Ex: Coca-Cola’s “Real Magic” AI campaign let fans co-create with Coke — making creativity part of the brand. TL;DR for Brand Leaders: AI won’t make you different, at least not yet. But if you’re already different — it can make you unmistakable. Would you use this with your team? #AIinMarketing #BrandStrategy #CMO #GenerativeAI #BrandDifferentiation #MarketingLeadership Elizabeth Oates Priti Mehra Raul Ruiz David Bernardino Lauren Morgenstein Schiavone Kristi Zuhlke

So, you say your brand is 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁? Let’s put that to the test. Here’s a quick assessment: 1. Ask each person on your team (or clients if you don't have a big team): “What makes us different from our competitors?” 2. Write down their answers. No editing, no filtering—just capture it all. Do you have a ton of different answers? This is where 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲—fewer points make a stronger impact. If you get 8 different answers, you’re likely missing the mark. You’re missing a defining point of impact—something that sets you apart on a level that matters. But if 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 (or 2) comes up consistently—one that cuts through all the noise—that’s where you’ll find your brand’s real power. A brand driven by purpose or sustainability doesn’t need a laundry list of features. It needs 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺, 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱. It should reflect your commitment to making a meaningful impact in a way your competitors simply can’t. That’s the difference that resonates like these impactful brands: 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗮’𝘀 differentiator is their best-in-class outdoor gear designed for serious adventurers who want to protect the planet. 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱𝘀 is known for creating the most comfortable shoes with genuinely eco-friendly materials. 𝗕𝗲𝗻 & 𝗝𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆’𝘀 stands out with their iconic, indulgent flavors that serve up a side of social justice activism. 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗯𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿 differentiates with stylish, well-priced eyewear that makes high-quality glasses accessible. Each brand excels at 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 (performance, comfort, indulgence, or style) and reinforces it with 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁. So, here is the challenge: Keep asking, refining, and digging until you find that one shining, unmistakable answer. The one that’s not just unique but rooted in purpose. That’s when you’ll truly stand out—because 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.

Most startups make this mistake with their messaging… Describing your differentiation should rarely be about how your product is different from competitors' products. Instead, differentiation should be about how the new way of doing things is different from the old way of doing things. Your product is just a tool to help your customers succeed with the new way of doing things. Some examples: Drift differentiated website chat (the new way) from website forms (the old way). Asana differentiated “teamwork without email” (the new way) from “teamwork with email” (the old way). Salesforce’s “No software” campaign differentiated cloud computing (the new way) from on-prem software (the old way). When you differentiate against competitors you set yourself up for a feature battle. (Which no one wins.) When you differentiate against the old way of doing things you set yourself up to be the only logical solution. Choose to be the only logical solution. #positioning #differentiation #startupmarketing #b2bmarketing

Your brand’s competitors want your customers’ attention. Everywhere. All the time. Your market is crowded. It’s hard to stand out. It’s even harder to be top of mind. Building an unforgettable brand requires more than just meeting the standards in your category. These 7 strategies to help you win share of mind and share of wallet: 1️⃣ Rethink “Better”—Aim for Different Most brands put their efforts into being incrementally better than their competitors: But when they do that, they all play the same game. It becomes hard to tell them apart. Instead, strive to be different in a way that matters to your customers. 2️⃣ Tune In to What Your Customers Aren’t Saying Customers won’t tell you everything outright. And they don’t know how to ask for something they’ve never experienced. Spot the patterns in their words, observe their behaviors, and understand those unspoken needs. 3️⃣ Be Clear and Consistent at Every Touchpoint, Always Every touchpoint—every way your customer interacts with your brand—either reinforces the brand or weakens it. Everything your customers perceive reinforces what they believe about you. Or it conflicts with it. And confuses them. 4️⃣ Transcend the Product Brands that stick in customers’ minds provide value beyond the transaction. They create experiences, add valuable resources, and offer extras that customers don’t expect. They make the brands a bigger part of their customers’ lives. 5️⃣ Keep Testing and Improving, Even When You Think You’ve Nailed It Great brands never stop evolving. If you rest on past success, you won’t stay competitive for long. Run small tests, explore new messaging, and check if your core message still resonates as your audience grows and market dynamics shift. Customers remember the brands that dare to do things differently to improve their lives. And when you get remembered, you’re more likely to get chosen. Click on the video below for a more in-depth take with examples for each strategy. 👇