Strengthening Brand Differentiation

Were all familiar with the reasons that differentiation has become so important in the technology, communications, and professional services sectors: a maturing market, a plethora of providers, converging technologies, an ever-increasing amount of readily available information … the list could go on and on. But what are the real issues people face when entering the realms of differentiation? And how are these issues compounded when you look at the regional model?

Global vs. Local

The European market is very complex. The range of cultures, languages, and country sizes (and relative importance) presents a significant challenge in approaching brand differentiation and brand management in the region. There is considerable debate as to how much autonomy EMEA branches of global companies really have to adapt branding. There’s even a question of whether this type of flexibility is desirable, given the challenges it entails: cost-oriented constraints, local language issues, and subtle cultural nuances, to name but a few.

Most people agree, however, that global organisations should present consistent core values through their global brand while at the same time providing an umbrella under which a degree of localisation can be adopted to account for the different markets and cultures they serve.

Brand Life-Cycle Considerations

It is widely accepted that successful global brands benefit from longevity, evolving over the years while still retaining and communicating the core values and essence of the brand. This relative stability is beneficial in many ways but is also potentially limiting with regard to the speed and degree of change at local market levels that often sets companies apart in competitive market sectors.

As with all things, you have to get the framework right to ensure that the core brand and its values are consistent, but by allowing localisation through the delivery of the brand—whether a local campaign, the office worker answering the phone, or the maintenance guy sent to the customer’s premises—you can more closely align with the behaviours expected in the local market.

Choosing the Right Message

In some areas such as emerging convergence technologies, the very pace and complexity of technological evolution may offer companies an opportunity to differentiate through focus on simplification—minimising uncertainty, lowering risk, and accompanying clients on their journey as a trusted advisor. This route is one we have seen demonstrated by Fujitsu Services, which differentiates based on its straightforward, commonsense approach to doing business rather than specific offerings or capabilities. This type of experience-based differentiation has struck a chord with Fujitu’s customers; they trust the company’s marketing messages around its pragmatic, honest approach and are thus much more receptive to engaging with the Fujitsu Services brand.

Reputation Matters

As is apparent from the Fujitsu Services example, what you say about your company is only half the story. The other half is what other people say about you—your reputation. And reputation is established via services delivery and client and employee experiences.

Services and solutions companies often find it challenging to deliver a consistently superiour delivery or customer experience due to the involvement of multiple business units, partners, and/or end users. Strong internal and partner communications and training programs can help ensure that your customer experience supports the brand promise, regardless of who is doing the delivery.

Online Reputation Management

Building a strong reputation is rooted in delivering a superiour offering and customer experience, but it doesn’t stop there. Reputation management is especially important today, given the proliferation of online tools and channels such as blogs, podcasts, social networks, and so on. Education and awareness of new channels and media must be key considerations of any effective brand differentiation strategy. Furthermore, companies must also develop a plan for the ongoing management of the influencer community. It’s very difficult to influence the way your brand is presented in the rapidly evolving online space, and the longer you wait, the harder it gets.

In addition to the online angle, the power and effectiveness of focus in building and maintaining a superior reputation should not be ignored. Account-Based Marketing, an approach that treats an individual account as a market in its own right, is a very effective and compelling way to manage brand differentiation at the customer level.

Live the Brand

Ultimately, the best tool you have at your disposal in building your brand is your company’s ability to connect on an emotional and trusted basis with people such as employees, external stakeholders, influencers, and customers. Live the brand, and the brand will live on.

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ITSMA specializes in helping companies market and sell services and solutions more effectively. We work with the world's leading technology, communications, and professional services providers to generate increased demand, strengthen customer relationships, and improve brand differentiation. ITSMA annual program clients include business leaders such as AT&T, Cisco, Deloitte, EMC, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, SAP, and Tata Consultancy Services, among others. Our comprehensive research, consulting, and training on topics including ITSMA Account-Based Marketing℠, Brand Positioning, and Solutions Development provide the insight and experience companies need to improve business results. ITSMA is based near Boston, and has offices in London and Tokyo. Learn more at www.itsma.com.