Truth 51. There are no commodity products, only commodity thinking

Marketing managers commonly complain that they are in a commodity business. Products (or services) are functionally the same, they say. All that customers care about is price. Competition quickly copies our innovations, they complain.

Differentiation is the route out of a commodity business. Brands can differentiate in one of three ways—on physical attributes, service attributes, and symbolic attributes. Differentiating on physical attributes comes most naturally to mind. Many brands rely heavily on this form of differentiation. Crocs sandals have become very popular. The sandals have a unique plastic design with distinctive openings throughout the sandal. Crest offers many variations on its toothpaste. Cinnamon and citrus are just a few flavors offered. You can buy Crest in traditional paste or, if you prefer, gel or liquid gel. You can get Crest with baking soda added.