A consumer will give you about three seconds, maybe 4 if you're lucky, to get to your message across. To make it obvious that your brand is different, that your brand is better, and why they should take time to care. That's it. You've got three seconds.

It's imperative that you make it clear that you differ and deserve a languid look. Three seconds isn't much time.

Which means you better be different if you want to survive whatever with any degree of relevance. We're not talking 20% or even 50% different. We're talking a complete 180. In a market where products try to be everything to everybody, where everything gets pushed to the lowest common denominator, you've got to set yourself apart, find a point of difference that can be turned into a point of genuine differentiation. Then, you've got to put your branding efforts toward communicating exactly how interacting with your brand will be a different experience, and why it will actually be a better choice. You've got to make sure your brand is seen as a clearly distinctive choice.

The fact is, the number one job of branding today is to get people to stop and look and recognize