If you just blend in with the crowd, it’s very difficult to attract your customers’ attention. A big key to the success of your business is to differentiate yourself from the competition. This could be with a fun logo (like the BlueFur blue monster), exceptionally good pricing, top notch customer service, or any variety of other aspects. Where differentiation really comes into play is in the world of advertising.

Take Nike for example. The company has done a fantastic job of creating a huge sense of brand recognition. Everyone is all too familiar with the swoosh logo, and whenever you hear the phrase, “Just Do It”, you know that it’s all about Nike. Reebok, on the other hand, has had more trouble creating an unmistakable brand. Their most recent effort is squarely targeted against Nike, which happens to be their largest competitor.

The new Reebok campaign encourages you to Run Easy. This is in stark contrast to “just doing it”, because it’s not about pushing yourself beyond your limits. It’s about having a good time: “There’s no point in doing it if you don’t enjoy it. Run Easy. Stay fit how you see fit.” They’re encouraging people to feel comfortable with themselves and while the jury is still out on whether this ad campaign will work, I’d say it does a great job in saying that they are different (and hopefully, for them, in a good way).