In an over-stimulated market we all are looking to find a way to stand out from the pack. Being unique conjures up an emotional connection between your brand (or product) and something special for the client – everybody wants to feel special.
I think at times we try too hard to create something new when what we need is a soft innovation (refer to Seth Godin’s book – Free Prize Inside). I’m all for trying something new (no rewards without risk – right?), but often it is simply a matter of taking something that works and tweaking it slightly.
Uniqueness allows you to be a niche of 1 in a crowded market place. It can position you as an innovator, always thinking ahead looking for new opportunities. It helps to maintain your branding/message as still RELEVANT.
All these attributes help separate your company/brand from the competition.
Uniqueness can be separated into 2 major areas –
1) Unique to your industry – Certain promotions lend themselves to certain industries and tend to get used over and over again. However to be unique you need to come up with a promotional product that your industry has not encountered. This may involve some courage as it is much easier to follow the industry standard. (often called the magnetic middle) The example below (USB cricket bat) is a good example as not only did it fit in with the sporting nature of the industry the client is involved in, but also creates a nice emotional tie-in for those that love cricket.
2) Unique to your product – does the promotion have a link to your product. When Nintendo launched their their Wii game console with its unique hand-held wireless remote, they capitalised on this point of differentiation by designing a keychain flashlight replica of the remote. I would deem this a “soft innovation” – keyring flashlights have been around for years. This was just a way of making it unique.
To create a unique promotional product takes time in both the ideation and production phases, so get in early and contact your promotional products consultant.
Matthew Bywater
Marketing Strategist
For more marketing insight from Matthew check out his blog – www.matthewbywater.com
