Why being different is the best way to win
Date: 01-Mar-10 Alastair Dryburgh

Since when was running with the herd good for a company’s performance? It’s all about being unique.
We’re number two – we try harder. So went the old slogan from car hire firm Avis. Memorable marketing, but is it any way to run a business? Avis has been trying harder for as long as I can remember (and that’s a long time now), but it’s still only number two.

The problem with companies like Avis – across a diverse range of markets – is that they just aren’t different enough. The days when it was possible to thrive simply by doing the same thing as the competition, only a little bit better, are long gone. Distinctiveness is now the name of the game.

So, if you want to escape a lifetime of trying ever harder for only average rewards, you’ll have to come up with something really different to offer your customers. To this end, MT has gathered together a few examples of Contrarian Champions whose example we can learn from – companies that have deliberately separated themselves from the pack – and outperformed their rivals’ vanilla offerings as a result.

Especially in times of economic hardship, it seems, being different can make all the difference. Just look at the winner of the latest MT Britain’s Most Admired Companies Awards: BSkyB. Here’s a company that is most assuredly not part of the regular media pack, and yet it has shown a clean pair of heels to its rivals – in terms of both commerce and its reputation – over the past 18 months.

more click here – http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/search/article/985301/why-different-best-win/