An increasing number of brand managers indicate that their brands operate in commodity categories. The Blake Project first began focusing on this area when we conducted a branding seminar in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and was asked by several conference attendees who worked for different energy companies to help them think through how to differentiate their brands so that they could command a price premium.
When marketing true commodities such as petroleum, palm oil, and soybeans, consider the following 13 ways to differentiate your brand:
1. Deliver superior product or service consistency (quality control).
2. Deliver superior responsiveness (order fulfillment, technical support, customer service).
3. Offer a superior range of products and services.
4. Consider value chain integration.
5. Uniquely bundle or unbundle your products and services.
6. Customize your products and services to meet each customer’s specific needs.
7. Identify your most important or profitable customers. Determine what they value most (through conjoint analysis or a similar technique) and then tailor your products and services to meet their specific needs.
8. Add a differentiating “ingredient” to your brand (ingredient branding).
9. Add unique packaging to your brand.
10. Distribute your brand in a unique or superior way.
11. Establish your “brand as a badge,” adding psychological value to its products and services.
12. Create a superior product purchase or usage experience.
13. Make superior creative in marketing communication the hero in brand differentiation.
To drive home the point that any commodity can be differentiated, we often assign “branding water” as a case study in our brand education workshops. As you know, water, the odorless colorless liquid, is the ultimate commodity. Despite its scarcity in certain parts of the world, 70 percent of the earth’s surface is water and the amount of water in the human body ranges from 50 percent to 75 percent. Furthermore, in most developed countries, water is readily available from public sources and in every home.
We have assigned this case study to hundreds of teams over the years, and many of the outcomes have been truly impressive and worthy of new business ventures. Marketers have identified the following differentiating elements:
- Target customers
- Suggested/specialized uses
- Ways to drink
- Taste/flavoring/carbonation
- Color
- Bottle/packaging shape, color, and functionality
- Size
- Price
- Source/story
- Health qualities
- Bundling with other products
- Distribution
If you ever run into a brand manager or consultant who indicates that it is impossible to brand something in the “XYZ” category because it is a commodity category, thank that person for his or her advice and then apply one or more of these approaches.
The Blake Project Can Help: The Brand Positioning Workshop
Branding Strategy Insider is a service of The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy specializing in Brand Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Licensing and Brand Education
