I saw a billboard recently with the tagline “Plumbing done differently,” and it stopped me for all the wrong reasons. Now, good on them for giving differentiation a crack — it’s an important step in any business’s marketing. But the more I looked at it, the more I thought… hang on, what does that even mean?
If your differentiator could apply to any industry — phones, burgers, tax returns, teacup poodles — then it’s not doing the job. Imagine Apple proudly announcing “Phones done differently,” or McDonald’s going with “Burgers done differently.” Technically true… but absolutely meaningless.
The same problem shows up in trades. A tagline like “Plumbing done differently” doesn’t speak to any specific customer desire. No one is driving down the road thinking:
“You know what I really want? A plumber who does it… differently.”
People want things like:
- Someone who shows up when they say they will
- Someone who doesn’t leave a mess
- Someone who fixes the problem properly
- Someone who communicates clearly and charges fairly
Those are real needs. They’re gaps real customers feel.
So yes — be different. Absolutely. But don’t be different for the sake of being quirky or vague. Be different in a way that actually matters to the customer. Think about what’s missing in your industry, what frustrations people talk about, and then position your business as the one that fills that gap — not with buzzwords, but with something they genuinely value.
Meaningful differentiation wins every time.
