Businesses compete against other businesses, substitute products, indifference, noise and businesses not yet created. Many unknowns, many external factors.

Branded experiences like games, music, movies and art compete against market noise. They have all they need to create excellence; popularity (or the lack of) never takes away from the quality and the uniqueness of the product.

As there will never be too many great games, albums, movies or paintings, there will never be too many great brands.

This is what companies like Apple understood.

Apple no longer competes against Dell, LG or Lenovo; it took itself out of the equation. People buy Apple products for the brand and the experience; it matters very little what Dell throws at Apple customers.

Great brands break the competitive equation. Your company can too. How can your company tweak its internal factors to create a unique voice in the market?