Major companies are ruthless when it comes to protecting their corporate identity. Consistency and brand recognition are important because they legitimize your company and help you to build long term relationships with your client base. In many cases, the difference between a good company and a great company is brand recognition and positive brand association. So what can you do to make your company stand out from the rest?

Apple set itself apart from competitors in the eyes of consumers using a very simple strategy. From the beginning, Apple aimed to produce high-quality products and invest in well-designed packaging. Although this strategy raises costs for the consumer, the finished product has garnered a reputation as desirable, durable, and marketable. Once positive brand association was achieved, Apple leveraged that energy into a campaign directed against its competitors. With the constant onslaught of negative Apple ads pouring in, Microsoft has been forced to sit back and stand still (acknowledging the ads or attempting to combat them would only serve to legitimize Apple’s message, but ignoring them leaves customers confused).

Exhibiting at an industry trade show is a great way to make competitors aware of your presence. It is important that your competitors perceive your company as strong and stable, because you will find that they will do a good deal of advertising for your company when they feel threatened by your company. Unlike Microsoft’s marketing team (which is actually doing a pretty decent job of combating Apple’s onslaught), your competitors won’t be able to resist legitimizing your branding efforts by attempting to attack your company. Remember that you are competing within an entire marketplace, and waging war with your most direct competitors is an indication that you are distracted from your overall goals.

Intel is a great example of a company that has closed its eyes to the attacks of its competitors. The people at Intel simply put their shoulder to the wheel and push forward creating the most powerful computer processors on the market. It’s never wise to ignore your competitors, but as soon as you allow them to consume your thoughts, you’ve lost the battle. So do your best to take Intel’s strategy:

Make better products to generate positive brand association, and leverage that positive brand association to distract competitors and make them feel helpless.