In business we’re constantly told that we need to be different from the competition… do something they’re not, offer new things and be daring to attract new customers.

I mean, there are loads of business examples in the news where businesses have thought outside the box and left their competitors in the dirt.

But what if that doesn’t always work?

It’s become apparent that when you want to diversify from others in the market you should think about two things… ‘What is different from the competition’ and ‘What will my customers like’

An example in the news recently is the clothing company ‘Gap’.

Their autumn collection had a simple yet powerful message, ‘Dress Normal’ the line of clothing was classy, they had celebrity endorsements and encouraged looking healthy rather than stick thin. 

Now this seems like a clothing line that people would have lapped up! Especially since other clothing companies seem to constantly be in the hot seat with promoting ‘unhealthy body image’ and ‘ridiculous’ fashion trends. 

But Gap's autumn look was a flop, and ‘Dress Normal’ is now at a massively discounted price, 75%!

Why? Because their consumers don’t want to be normal. They want to be cute, hot, stylish or anything else. But not normal. 

So think about this when you want to be different from your competitors.

You can’t just split away without thinking about whether your ideal customer would like it.

Oh, and click here if you want to see the article.

Noel Guilford