Creating categories, not just products

Or creating places, not just "attractions"....

Good piece in Advertising Age about the Wii vs. competitor products from Sony and Microsoft by Al Ries--"Nintendo Will Win Game Wars by Thinking 'Different,' Not 'Better': Wii Is Not Just a New Product, It's a New Category." (Registration may be required for article access.) From the article:

Simply Better" is the title of the marketing book that won the 2005 Berry-AMA Book Prize. "Customers rarely buy a product or service because it offers something unique," say authors Patrick Barwise and Sean Meehan. Consumers want products that are "simply better" in terms of quality, reliability and value.

Not true. Too many companies focus on trying to make better products when the real advantage is making different products. The video-game dogfight between Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo illustrates this point.

It's the same for places. Uniqueness matters, quality matters. Not being like everyone else. This matters especially in terms of retail and in the attractiveness of neighborhood commercial districts, for residents, in-region visitors, and out-of-area visitors (tourists).

It's the difference between Muleh or Urban Essentials in the 14th and U (Mid City) District vs. West Elm downtown. Both types are important. But a retail mix dominated by chains provides little reason for people to shop in DC vs. Tysons Corner, because Tysons Corner will always have more chain stores.