Distinction

Distinctiveness is perceived difference. A brand's distinctiveness is established by the degree to which its distinct brand assets make it quickly recognizable in the market.

"Differentiation is about the features of a product or service that set a brand apart in the eyes of the customer, while distinctiveness focuses on making a brand easily identifiable by customers through brand names, logos, jingles, slogans, and house styles." — Byron Sharp

"The central importance of brand differentiation has probably been over-stated historically, and the importance of distinctiveness had been under-stated until recently. But seeing the two as unrelated, alternative strategies rather than potentially complementary ones means we may be missing out on deploying the full power of difference at a crucial time." — The stupidity of sameness and the value of difference

"A brand can differentiate itself by being more of one thing than its competitors. And in combining the right associations with the right execution, ideally powered by the distinctiveness that comes from clear and well applied brand codes, a brand can present itself differently to the market from its competitors." — Differentiation is not about uniqueness

"Distinctive sounds and characters generate six times more brand recall than logos and slogans" — Ipsos via Diego Chicharro

"A recent study by Kantar Millward Brown, for instance, found brands with the strongest assets are on average 52% more ‘salient’ than their rivals – in other words, they are much more likely to spring to mind when consumers are shopping within the category." — Distinctive brand assets—What they are and why they matter

"Average likelihood of an ad featuring different brand asset types being high- vs. low-performing on branded attention..." (via Ipsos)

  1. Sonic brand cues: 8.53x
  2. Characters: 6.01x
  3. Celebrities: 2.84x
  4. Package shape: 2.09x
  5. Creative visual style: 1.67x
  6. Color: 1.44x
  7. Font: 1.41x
  8. Logo with slogan: 1.41x
  9. Slogan: 1.19x
  10. Music: 1.2x
  11. Logo: 1.17x

"Performance by asset type..." (indices, via What role do brand cues have in brand equity?)

  1. Shapes and patterns: 124
  2. Logos: 123
  3. Font: 110
  4. Packaging: 109
  5. Characters: 102
  6. Product cues: 100
  7. Colors: 92
  8. Stores: 92
  9. Advertising elements: 88
  10. Celebrities: 87
  11. Slogans: 85
  12. Sponsorship: 77

#creative