David Tyreman begins World Famous: How to Give Your Business a Kick-Ass Brand Identity with this quote from the late Jerry Garcia: "Success isn't about being perceived as the best at what you do, it's about being perceived as the only one who does what you do."

In other words, Tyreman argues, there's a danger in looking at your competitor's product or service and striving to make yours better with an added benefit or feature. The more you align yourself with the competition, the less likely it becomes that customers will see you as the obvious choice.

By way of example Tyreman points to Virgin Atlantic, which created new levels of service that couldn't be found on any other airline. "Virgin does not have a first-class section or a business-class section—it has Upper Class, which is positioned to beat out any other airline's business-class service, and Premium Economy, which is positioned to beat out any other airline's economy class," he explains. "Virgin Atlantic doesn't compete on the same level as other airlines, yet it still wins award after award."

Your Marketing Inspiration is clear. "The one and only rule to remember when you are seeking to stand out from the crowd," says Tyreman, "is [this]: Don't become part of the crowd in the first place."

More Inspiration:
Paul Dunay: Forget Audience Segmentation: Segment by Conversation!
Jeanne Bliss: Via Rail Stays on Customer Loyalty Track by Apologizing Well
Elaine Fogel: Michael Vick Partners with The Humane Society 

Editor's note: In our previous Marketing Inspriation newsletter ("Youth Isn't Always Wasted on the Young"), we linked to the incorrect video. Here is the correct link, and the corrected newsletter. We regret the error.

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