It is really, really hard to create a unique product or service. Even when you do create something unique, there’s no guarantee you’ll gain meaningful visibility. First you have to position it to cut through the clutter. Advertising and information overload is the norm. Whether you’re battling to reach consumers inundated with an endless set of choices for virtually each product or service, or corporate buyers overwhelmed by the number of potential solutions they review, it is almost impossible to cut through the noise. Cutting through this clutter, even with something head turning and new, can be difficult.

Look at competition and success from a different perspective. Take some of the time, effort and resources normally devoted to your product, and direct them to finding the right “playground”—one where you can maneuver and gain visibility that cuts through the noise. Imagine if your effort was not spent on Release #10 of your software or your ninth perfume bottle design, but on the distribution channels that will value Release #5 or bottle design #8, and the niche markets where that value has room to be unique. What is often inferior on one playground is superior on another. The uniqueness of your solution is important. It might be even more important to go to playgrounds where no one else is playing.