Are you attracting copycats?

December 4, 2007

When you differentiate, make sure it’s hard to copy!

I have to tell you that I was really dazzled by Hampton Inn’s new image. It was several years ago now, but the image and design of all of their hotel branding was just too cool and fun. When you walked in, they had a rug that was split into two pieces – two rugs basically – and the first one said “welcome” and the second one said “we love that you are here” or something like that.

Those rugs were what caught my attention. Then we received our room key and the key card holder had a guarantee printed on it with a very direct, explicit outline of a money-back guarantee. Talk about bold risk reversal! On the inside of the holder, our key had a small black and white photo with a road sign and below, the words said “welcome to Texas.” At the time, we were staying in Austin for the weekend. Accompanying the key card was a complimentary in-room wireless access code. When other hotels are charging from $10 to $20 bucks for that alone, that’s just one of Hampton Inn’s value adds.

The black and white photo theme is what really pulled in my heart. My love of clean design and practical marketing that really works ate up this branding – big time! When we got in the elevator, I was delighted to see the same branding images. Imagine a black and white photo of two donkeys walking down a road sitting next to a band of sage green with reversed out white text that read “road warriors.” I knew I was hooked.

The problem I’ve always had with a lot of branding is that it is big hat and no cattle. The branding can be beautiful and stunning (like this branding was), but without substance (that means that you have a good product or service and it does what you say it is going to do), the branding is worthless. It’s like putting lipstick on a pig. It’s still swine!

When we got to the room, I was on the lookout for more cool branding pieces. Now, I had an expectation, and I’m so glad to report that I wasn’t disappointed! From the little ‘do not disturb’ sign that reads ‘recharging’ and has a photo of a guy with headphones on, to the toiletries, there were plenty of items to take in.

The product, which, in this case, was a hotel room had much to write home about. Everything is just a cut above the other similarly-priced hotels (anywhere from $89 to $129 in most markets). One of my favorite upper mid-line hotels is Westin. Westin is wonderful because of the linens and the quality of the pillows, and the excellent service. Hampton Inn combined a great bed (I’ve got scoliosis and Mark has a herniated disk, so with these backs comfy beds reign supreme), wonderful linens, microwave and frig in the room. I found out on this last trip that Hampton Inn now has the Hilton-level beds and linens and the whole ensemble can be purchased at http://www.hamptonhomecollection.com/comingsoon.htm. This is a great example of how offline companies are integrating their customer experience with different products, other companies, and new ways of marketing. You can do this too!

Were we happy? You betcha. It was one of the first times in a long time that I stayed in a hotel and didn’t wake up feeling like I had been run over by a Mack truck. The branding made it just that much more fun, and guess what? It worked. We now look for a Hampton Inn when we travel, and it’s fun to see what photos will appear in different cities and states. Each hotel has a photo that is geographically specific and represents the appeal of the location area.

Hampton Inn clearly knows what its primary target wants. Business people is the hotel chain’s target. Families traveling could be on the list too, and the manager at a Hampton Inn in Quincy, Florida revealed that he was beginning to work with that market. Both target markets are also served by the hotel’s free full-service breakfasts. For us, that saves a minimum of $20 and an extra hour each morning. We love it because when we are on vacation, it allows us to get moving and on to what we went to visit in the first place!

When you combine the savings for breakfast and the free internet connection, the $10 or so more that Hampton costs is not a big deal. Same with business travelers. If you are an employer, per diem is per diem, but what if you do actual receipts and your people stay in a place where breakfast is free? It’s a win-win-win, right?

So what does all of this have to do with YOU and your differentiation? It has to do with choosing things that are difficult to copy. True differentiation is nearly impossible to copy. Think the Disney experience and Apple. They are in a league of their own.

Here are five things you can consider to really pull out the differentiation at your company!

Invest in cutting-edge technology or innovations your clients really want. If you have a proprietary program your company has created, that’s even better. With our Hampton Inn example, they were one of the first to offer the 100% guarantee, and now those are popping up all over the place in that price range. Sure, other hotels offer a continental breakfast, but to offer a buffet, that requires an investment – and a commitment. Investing in things you think would be cool, but your best clients could care less about is a waste of money – keep those clients in mind and if you aren’t sure, ask them!
Let the “you” shine through! In professional services, especially, this is a great differentiation strategy. If you are edgy, fun-spirited professionals – let that work to your advantage. If you are passionate about a certain pet project, go where those people are and connect to other just like you. The more that you create marketing that speaks to who you are, the more you will attract those people already looking for you.
Align differentiation with values. Once you know what your highest values are – what you really believe in – then look around and see what is great out in the world and then put your unique spin on it. For example, I’ve had the fortunate experience to meet and work with many amazing professionals who I would call “entrepreneurial accountants” – Glenn Baldwin and Bonnie Houldsworth are two of the best. Setting themselves apart from the competition isn’t difficult because they truly are not like the competition – they are business people and entrepreneurs first and accountants second. The combo is out of this world and super hard to copy!
Take stock of what you have. It’s so easy to look around and know what you don’t have. Take a look around and see what you do have that is exactly what your clients are asking for. Sometimes it is a certain type of specialization, sometimes it’s the way you work with clients, sometimes it’s just the work philosophy you bring to the table. To make differentiation work for you, you must use it. Put it out there. Just like the Hampton Inn guarantee – they may have had it all along, but when they put it front and center, it becomes much more powerful.
Allow your clients tell you. It’s so easy to go into the toe tapping “aw shucks” when clients begin to spew accolades. When clients share with you what is amazing about you, be sure to take it in fully and make a note of it. Chances are that those same things are what others are loving about you too. When you know what those things are, ask yourself: How can we strengthen these? How can we do more of this? How can we continue doing this?

When it comes to differentiation, it’s important to choose things that set you are apart, and are difficult to copy. The combination of these two together is the leg-up in the minds of your customers.

Radisson (our #2 mid-line choice) is great, but Hampton Inn is what has captured our needs and how we feel about ourselves. We identify with Hampton Inn because of the branding, the excellent – usually quirky, fun employees – and the consistent product we really appreciate and love.

Is it likely another hotel chain will copy their branding? Probably not. It’s funky. It’s not really ‘out there,’ but it’s out there enough to ward off the ‘me-tooers’ and the copycats. This is an excellent example of really serving a target market and being okay with letting others slide by – own your target market sliver is what I always say!

So when you are thinking about creating differentiation or choosing your differentiation, think of Hampton Inn and think – what would someone else not want to copy? In the hotel biz, if one hotel gives out ‘free’ items the guest has forgotten, that’s easy enough to copy. Need a map of the city? No problem. Want a Sleep Number bed (a Radisson offering)? Whoa, that’s going to require an investment – will other hotels go to that expense? Probably not – or not easily. What can you do in your industry that is similar?

Even better, what can you spotlight that is ‘business as usual’ for your company and would make your competitor squirm and your client squeal with delight? Figure that out, and you’ve got your differentiation!

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