By Barb Kachelski, CAE
What do these three companies have in common?
1. A furniture store with cheaply made, build-it-yourself furniture;
2. A manufacturer that build its cars two feet shorter than any other on the market and
3. A social media site that limits senders to 144 characters.
Answer: Ikea, Mini Cooper and Twitter are all unabashedly different and wildly successful.
According to Youngme Moon, author of Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd, these three companies embraced potential negatives, and actually flaunted them. Rather than attempting to match their competitors, they emphasized their uniqueness, she told her audience at the 2012 World Council of Credit Unions Annual Convention in Gdansk, Poland.
These companies didn’t try to appeal to all consumers, she continued. They tried to be indispensable to the group of consumers who think their product is perfect.
How can credit unions celebrate their difference from banks? Please add your thoughts in the comments.
Barb Kachelski, CAE, is SVP/chief operating officer for CUES.
Hear more on strategic thinking from Paul J.H. Schoemaker, Ph.D., founder of Decision Strategies International, at CUES’ CEO/Executive Team Network, Nov. 4-7 at The Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach.
