Coke is surrounded by more than 300 separate brands of products because it competes in local markets that require different product portfolios around the flagship brand. The combination of slight adjustments to the flavor to meet local tastes and a series of flanking products delivers the market position needed market by market. In thinking through uniqueness, don't overlook the importance of cultural nuance. Japan, for example, is associated with high-tech products, Scandinavians are known for their design and for their engineering excellence. To compete with well-established producers on their home turf can be difficult.
Product differentiation is key.
Just because you can demonstrate a product's characteristics and have determined that it's one of a kind, doesn't mean that it's important in the marketplace. When the company began to evaluate their product in Spain, it used focus groups to get a feel for the reaction of the local consumers. Senior executives at the company found that, to Spanish consumers, the low calorie, low-fat claim meant nothing. The Spanish diet was already low in fat, which rendered these claims, however true, meaningless. If the product promise is too much of a stretch, people will not buy it-anywhere.