Why differentiation is a key asset in competitive B2B markets

At Chromatic, we often encounter B2B clients who are nervous about standing out from the crowd. They feel more comfortable echoing the verbal and visual conventions of their sector. In doing so, they tend to emphasise relevance but under-leverage distinctiveness. And as more confident marketers recognise, whilst relevance earns you the right to be considered, it is differentiation (perceived or actual) that is the basis of choice. 

With this in mind, we were saddened to see Aberdeen abandon its highly distinctive brand mark in favour of a more conventional and prosaic reading of its name. Of course, the vowel-free ABRDN attracted ridicule on its launch. Unconventional brand names, especially neologisms, are always mocked. But few people roll their eyes now at non-literalist brand names, Apple, Accenture or Nvidia.

Of course, if the only outstanding thing you have to offer the market is eccentric spelling, then your brand won’t deliver outstanding results. Distinctive principles, characteristics, experiences and outcomes are what truly sets businesses and brands apart. But brand naming is an opportunity to commit to originality and distinctiveness. Apple was built on the imperative to Think Different. And even as it became mainstream, it maintained a challenger’s mindset. Accenture is a mash-up of the phrase ‘accent on the future’. It remains a business which helps other businesses to thrive upon change. And NVidia would have been called NVision if a toilet roll business hadn’t already owned the name. That’s sometimes the way the chips fall. 

B2B marketers should grasp every opportunity to bake-in distinctiveness into their brands. As with Chromatic clients like Vibrint, Kindred, MajorKey and Onro, a quirky name isn’t a ‘distraction’ if it is a promise of authentic differentiation.

Written by Alec Rattray

See how Chromatic has helped brands to develop and grow authentic and differentiated names: