Recognize when your brand is unrecognizable.

Have you ever perused the websites of large wireless providers? Or really watched and listened to one of their ads? That’s ok, because they tend to all say the same thing — essentially, they all claim to have the most reliable network, best gadgets and amazing deals on multi-device service packages. We’d like to say that this is an exception to the rule, but in reality, it’s not. You see this herd mentality infiltrating advertising in a lot of industries.

The root problem comes when companies and brands start listening more to their competitors than to their audience. They get caught up in the race to showcase services or products in comparison to, or contrasting from, their competitors instead of pushing beyond that and understanding what really matters to their current or potential customers.

How to know when you’re part of the pack

The first step on the road to brand recognition is acknowledging when you need to make a change. It’s hard to be honest with yourself. It’s hard to admit that the price difference between your product and the competition isn’t enough to conquer inertia and lure customers who are on auto-pilot.

Take time to really compare your brand tone and advertising approach to your competition. Look at your messaging and your competitors’ messaging in side-by-side comparisons. Be prepared to be brutally honest with yourself. If you can’t do that, ask the brutally honest people in your organization to be part of the evaluation.

If the competitive analysis tells you everyone is talking about the same thing, your brand is not working as hard as it could or should for you. You all just have products or services that you advertise.