Differentiation Archive
An associate, Rhonda McHardy sent us this new ad campaign for Air New Zealand.
Is it clever, or is it brilliant? What do you think?
Upside Down
1 Comment Published by Frank Lane May 30th, 2009 in Alignment, Differentiation, Focus, Innovation, LinkageI guess when we are looking at ways to create compelling differentiation, we have to include in our mental check lists, “upside down.”
I am of course speaking of Topsy Turvy, the new tomato plant that grows upside down out of the bottom of a hanging basket. Everything about this product fits the principles of Killer [...]
Innovation 1902
0 Comments Published by Frank Lane May 17th, 2009 in Alignment, Differentiation, Execution, Focus, Innovation, Spot On, UncategorizedAnimal crackers with which we are all familiar were not a brand. Animal crackers are a commodity with many different manufacturers over the years, even a few now, but the niche category has been all but owned since 1902 by Nabisco with its Barnum Animal crackers. WHY??
In 1902, Nabisco created a special package of Barnum’s [...]
Brand a Drinking Glass?
0 Comments Published by Frank Lane May 14th, 2009 in Alignment, Differentiation, InnovationWhy not?
Can you differentiate a drinking glass in a compelling and ownable way, and become famous for it?
Well, the Tervis Tumbler™ is just that. Except they are not a Killer Brand, because as successful as they are, very few people know about them by name, even when they are drinking from one. Are you familiar [...]
For A Song
0 Comments Published by Frank Lane April 12th, 2009 in Differentiation, Execution, Focus, InnovationThe American Dream may be born in the fact that to create a Killer Brand here does not require the resources of a giant, just the talent of a giant.
Consider. Delta with giant resources starts a new airline named Song. Millions later Song is gone.
While during the same years, in the very toughest economic times, [...]
Some KILLER BRANDS Make Noise
0 Comments Published by Frank Lane March 30th, 2009 in Alignment, Differentiation, Execution, Focus, Innovation, Leadership, Linkage, Naming, Packaging, Spot On, TargetingHere is a new and very definite KILLER BRAND that I recently discovered. How can one company own a 62% share of a highly fragmented category?
Meet Vic Firth. Every heard of him or his company? If you play the drums you probably have. Vic Firth drumsticks are the undisputed Killer Brand in the drumstick category.
Vic [...]
Our First Newspaper
0 Comments Published by Frank Lane March 29th, 2009 in Differentiation, Focus, Innovation, LeadershipAs we watch the demise of the newspaper in America amid the rise of blogs, it should be noted that the first newspaper published in America, “Publick Occurrences” in the year 1690, WAS BOTH A NEWSPAPER AND A BLOG.
Publick Occurrences consisted of 3 pages of print articles with a blank back page for readers to [...]
Happy Birthday Macintosh
0 Comments Published by Frank Lane January 25th, 2009 in Differentiation, Execution, LeadershipThis is a day late but the Macintosh computer was born yesterday, 25 years ago with <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch">the famous "George Orwell, 1984" TV advertising</a>.
I was thinking that we ran Bullfrog on an Apple II, and we ran my first consulting company on an Apple III, both of which preceeded the Macintosh. Seems like just yesterday. [...]
Drinkability
5 Comments Published by Frank Lane December 21st, 2008 in Differentiation, Execution, InnovationThe new Bud Light campaign using the non-consumer term, “drinkability” is very interesting for several reasons.
First, drinkability is a term used internally maybe by all beer companies (I have worked with Coors and Miller and it was used both places). But everyone knows it is not a consumer word. No consumer ever says, “This beer [...]
Sure you can brand a turkey
0 Comments Published by Frank Lane November 26th, 2008 in Alignment, Differentiation, Execution, FocusYou can brand anything. Over 50 years ago, the Butterball turkey was introduced, and for 40 of those years once it achieved broad geographical distribution, it has been the number one brand of turkey, even though it has been owned by different companies.
Number one for 40 years. No Thanksgiving should ever pass without brand-interested parties [...]



