W.T.F.A.Q.

Is this a joke?

No, it is not a joke. This website is an example of a Differentiation brand differentiating itself.

Is The Department of Differentiation real?

Yes, the Department of Differentiation is 100% real. While the brand is a lot of fun, our work delivers serious results. We have built The Department of Differentiation to help other companies become exceptional businesses.

Is Competitive Differentiation Strategy™ real?

Competitive Differentiation Strategy™ is 100% real. Whether it’s something as massive as an existential crisis about the future of your business or a single project like a content series, creating a CDS™-based differentiation strategy that is unique to you can be vital to your success.

Are Competitive Differentiation Strategy™ and CDS™ actually trademarked?

No, they are not. It is a joke and an example of a differentiation strategy we call a Marketerm™ (which is a Marketerm™ itself).

Do I really need to fill out a Clearance Request?

Yes, you do. Along with including the Secret Code Phrase and the word “Porcetta.”

Why did you do all this?

We are differentiation specialists, and a boring, generic website filled with business jargon wouldn’t inspire much confidence that we know what we’re doing.

However, we hope that because you’re reading this right now, we have aroused some curiosity and that your trip to our site has been memorable.

Where did CDS™ come from?

CDS™ captures all the best practices of the work the DifferentiAgents have done throughout their careers, including:

  • Brand positioning

  • Marketing strategy

  • Content strategy

  • Creativity and storytelling theory

  • Attention strategy

  • Audience development strategy

  • Social psychology

  • Leadership theory

  • Sales and business development strategy

  • Culture-building strategy

  • Coaching techniques

  • Innovation and disruption theory

  • Finance and pricing strategy

What’s the deal with the seal?

  • The All-Seeing Eye is the Internal Investigation of your business. Nothing goes unseen!

  • The Maze is the Differentiation process. The process is the journey. There will be wrong turns and dead ends and frustration. But we will find the one true path and the exit.

  • The Compass is the discovery of your CDS™. It will be your North Star, the ability to make clear, clean decisions that play to your unique strengths and eliminate your competition.

  • The crossed pencils/markers are representative of the patented DoD whiteboarding sessions, a defining part of our two-day IRL Internal Investigation and Differentiation Sessions.

  • The Triangle represents the three stages of CDS™: Reconaissance, Investigation, and Differentiation. 

  • The Venn Diagram is the magic intersection of the three DifferentiAgents: Jenny, Debi, and Steve. Their unique personalities, backgrounds, and expertise come together to form the Avengers of Competitive Differentiation Strategy™.