In the modern marketing environment, one of the essential tasks of any company is to separate its products from competing products in the minds of consumers. Before a company starts creating advertisements, it needs to find differences between very similar brands. The most critical element in the successful differentiation of goods is the perception of consumers. If purchasers perceive the product as different from competing commodities, then the company has successfully distinguished it. Significant differentiation involves the definition of the four essential components – context, unique idea, the assertion of excellence, and differences in communications.
Differentiation strategies should make sense in the context of the product category. For instance, currently, many companies include fingerprint scanners as a means of securing handheld devices. However, fingerprint scanners have been proved to be prone to errors when the user’s fingers are wet. To overcome this inconvenience and provide a better alternative, Apple can look into iris scanning as a means of authorization. It will not only increase convenience and improve user experience but also put the company as a market leader in innovations in the eyes of consumers.
The difference does not have to be related to the product itself. Ideas such as value-added service, leadership, and innovation can also be used to differentiate the company from rivals. For instance, Apple can offer a free subscription to Apple Music for one year to buyers of the new iPhone. Individuals who pay for other music streaming services may be incentivized to buy an iPhone as their new smartphone because of this value-added service. If Apple wants to enter the TV market, it can differentiate itself by providing more powerful streaming services than competitors. Recently, Apple has launched its video streaming service similar to Netflix. More customers will be attracted to Apple TV if the users receive exclusive content not available to regular subscribers.
People must believe in the reality of difference – it should be based on reliable features for the average consumer, service, or product difference. Sometimes the differentiating features of the product and their significance are evident to consumers. More often, some proof is required, and the most common method for this confirmation is through comparative advertising. iPhone is known for its efficiency in using computational resources. This aspect can be compared with Samsung’s phones, which need more computational power to accomplish the same tasks. The weakness of Apple is its price; however, this shortcoming can be turned into an advantage if Apple starts targeting premium users and using premium materials.
