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The Science of Differentiation

Written by: Mark Smiciklas

Article Overview: There is enough evidence in the annals of branding to convince even the most skeptical small business owner that differentiation is a critical component of building a successful brand – yet there are very few that embrace the concept. For those of you that are not convinced, there is another way to look at differentiation - through brain science. The human brain, in its mysterious glory, thrives on differentiation.

The Science of Differentiation

Author Jack Trout coined the term “Differentiate or Die”…a concise and powerful message that warns of the consequences of brand mediocrity. There is no shortage of great books on the subject – all clearly defining the marketing rationale of choosing to be different.

There is enough evidence in the annals of branding to convince even the most skeptical small business owner that differentiation is a critical component of building a successful brand – yet there are very few that embrace the concept.

For those of you that are not convinced, there is another way to look at differentiation - through brain science. The human brain, in its mysterious glory, thrives on differentiation. Here are a few interesting excerpts from the book “Brain Matters” by Patricia Wolfe:

* The brain is sometimes referred to as a sponge that soaks up information. But a better metaphor would be a sieve: by some estimates, 99% of all sensory information is discarded almost immediately upon entering the brain.

* Most of the time your unconscious brain is taking over the decision making process for you. What factors influence the brain during this initial filtering of information? One key component of the filtering process is whether the incoming stimulus is different from what we are used to seeing – whether it is novel.

* Novelty is an innate attention getter. To survive our ancestors had to be aware of any novel or unique stimulus present in the environment. We’re not much different. Our brains today are still programmed to pay attention to the unusual…

What can you do to make your product, service or retail store, noticeable? With so much information and noise in the marketplace, consumers’ brains are working overtime to filter out middle-of-the-road brand messages – and looking for something different to pay attention to.

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Article Tags: annals, attention getter, brain matters, brain science, brains, brand messages, critical component, differentiation, great books, human brain, jack trout, mediocrity, metaphor, patricia wolfe, retail store, sieve, small business owner, soaks, sponge, stimulus



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