Difference

How can you make your work truly matter—not just stand out, but transform how people feel and act? In Difference: The One-Page Method for Reimagining Your Business and Reinventing Your Marketing, Bernadette Jiwa argues that the future of business lies not in being different, but in creating difference. This shift, she says, is the key to building products, services, and brands that people don’t just buy but believe in.

Jiwa contends that traditional marketing has lost its heart. For decades, businesses have been shouting to get noticed—buying ads, polishing taglines, and adding endless features. But what truly drives people isn’t logic or price; it’s emotion, empathy, and meaning. The world no longer rewards the loudest brand but the one that listens, understands, and connects deeply with people’s lives. Her book reframes marketing as a form of storytelling and empathy—a process of discovering what customers care about and building around that truth.

From Being Different to Creating Difference

At the heart of Jiwa’s philosophy is a subtle but powerful distinction: being different focuses on competition, while creating difference focuses on contribution. Instead of trying to outdo rivals with marginal improvements, you aim to make meaning—to reimagine what’s possible by asking, “what difference can this make in people’s lives?” Starbucks didn’t invent coffee, nor did Apple invent the smartphone, yet both transformed everyday commodities into experiences filled with meaning. This is the shift Jiwa wants every entrepreneur and creative to make: stop seeking to be noticed, and start striving to be needed.

Her Difference Model—built on six pillars: principles, purpose, people, personal, perception, and product—provides a one-page framework for doing this. Instead of starting with an idea and working out how to sell it, Jiwa flips the process. She begins with empathy and the truth about the people you want to matter to, then helps you design work that fits seamlessly into their worldview.

Empathy as the Starting Point of Innovation

One of Jiwa’s recurring lessons is that all meaningful innovation begins with empathy. She revisits the story of Steve Jobs and the invention of the mouse to show how insight—not invention—creates value. Jobs’s genius wasn’t that he designed a new device, but that he imagined what it would mean for people: no longer typing obscure commands, they could simply point and click. He flipped the equation from “what can this product do?” to “what could people do with this product?” That human-centered leap, Jiwa argues, is what separates a good idea from a great one.

She also tells the story of Sylvan Goldman, inventor of the shopping cart. Initially, people resisted it. Men thought it looked weak, women thought it was unfashionable, and older shoppers felt it made them look helpless. But by observing behavior and empathizing with people’s pride and self-image, Goldman realized he had to sell the story of using the cart, not the function. So he hired models to use it in stores, shifting perception so powerfully that within years it had become an indispensable part of shopping culture. This is Jiwa’s central point: when you understand the human meaning behind behavior, you can transform not just what people do—but how they feel about doing it.

Why Marketing Is the Story of How You Care

Modern marketing, Jiwa laments, often feels soulless because it’s reduced to techniques and funnels. She views marketing not as the act of selling, but as the act of caring out loud. True marketing, she says, is the story of how you create difference for your customers. It’s about generosity, not manipulation; about emotion, not interruption. We’ve spent decades treating marketing as a transaction—product for money, ad for attention. But in today’s world of infinite choice, people buy meaning. They don’t buy the cookie; they buy the fortune inside it (a nod to Jiwa’s earlier book The Fortune Cookie Principle).

This shift requires seeing customers as stories, not demographics. People want to be someone, not just anyone. Airbnb made travelers feel like locals; TOMS made buyers feel philanthropic; Warby Parker made wearing glasses feel expressive, not corrective. These brands don’t sell features—they sell promises that make people feel like the best version of themselves.

The Difference Model’s Core: Stories that Matter

Jiwa’s Difference Model is both a strategic map and a moral compass. It insists that your brand’s story begins with truth: about you, your market, and the people you want to serve. It asks you to define your purpose—the “why” beyond profit—and express it through a product that not only works but feels right. It challenges you to make that difference personal by improving how your customers feel about themselves in your brand’s presence. And finally, it demands authenticity—because people believe stories that are consistent with what a company actually does.

Through case studies from companies like MOO.com, Sugru, Simple, Uber, and Charity: Water, Jiwa demonstrates how difference-based thinking leads to remarkable results. Whether connecting digital design to craftsmanship or combining convenience with social conscience, these innovators succeed because they start from empathy and end with meaning. Their marketing isn’t an add-on; it’s the logical outcome of how they create difference.

Why This Matters Now

As Jiwa argues, we are living in an era where attention is scarce but trust is scarcer. Traditional advertising can no longer buy loyalty. What wins hearts and wallets now is not noise but nuance. Every brand, from a startup to a global giant, faces the same mandate: stop trying to be the loudest and start working to be loved. The shortcut to more is to matter. That’s what Jiwa’s Difference is ultimately about—the art and discipline of building businesses, products, and stories that people don’t just notice, but will miss if they disappear.

Bernadette Jiwa insists that empathy isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s the foundation of all meaningful innovation. You can’t create difference if you don’t first understand the people you want to serve. This principle echoes across the book’s most vivid stories—from Steve Jobs’s mouse to the humble shopping cart, from Fortified Bicycle’s theft-proof lights to startups like Airbnb and Chobani.

Learning to See What’s Unsaid

Peter Drucker once said, “The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.” Jiwa takes this wisdom to heart: business success begins not by asking customers what they want, but by seeing what they struggle with and feel. The founders of Fortified Bicycle Alliance didn’t just send out surveys. They followed cyclists on rainy nights, watched them fumble with removable lights, and noticed the real pain points—stolen gear, broken mounts, forgotten batteries. That empathy produced a product that solved practical and emotional frustrations—proof that paying attention is the most radical innovation tool you have.

Why Traditional Research Fails

Many companies still rely on focus groups and analytics, believing data alone reveals truth. Jiwa argues otherwise: numbers can tell you what, but never why. Like listening to a child’s growth chart instead of seeing them play, data may measure behavior without understanding it. Great innovators develop what IDEO calls “creative confidence”—they practice human-centered design that begins with observation and empathy. (This idea aligns with David Kelley’s Creative Confidence, which Jiwa references.)

Empathy in Action: Case Studies

Empathy-driven companies thrive because they humanize problems. Airbnb’s founders began by renting air mattresses in their apartment to attend a design conference, but what they discovered was deeper—people longed for belonging. Chobani succeeded not by following yogurt trends but by understanding that people wanted authenticity: thick Greek yogurt made the old way. Sugru’s inventor, Jane Ní Dhulchaointigh, created self-setting rubber not for technologists, but for everyday fixers—people frustrated by disposable culture. Each example demonstrates empathy’s transformative power: the product succeeds because it gives people emotional agency.

The Empathy-Action Cycle

Jiwa’s Difference Model starts with principles—the truths about you, your market, and your customers. Understanding these reveals your opportunity to act with purpose. Then comes the deeper work: designing around people’s emotions rather than products’ features. As IDEO’s founders say, empathy unlocks surprising insights that lead to breakthrough ideas. By moving from “products built to sell” to “ideas made to matter,” you stop pushing and start resonating. The challenge for you, Jiwa reminds, is to keep your eyes open: empathy is not a tactic, but a worldview.

Have we forgotten how to truly connect with people? Jiwa’s story of King Frederick the Great’s potato campaign teaches a timeless marketing lesson: persuasion begins with empathy, not logic. Frederick couldn’t convince Prussians to adopt potatoes by royal decree—but once he framed potatoes as desirable (by planting a guarded royal field), people wanted them. This shift from argument to story perfectly encapsulates Jiwa’s view: great marketing doesn’t tell people what to buy; it helps them reimagine what’s valuable.

Marketing as Emotional Transfer

According to Jiwa, marketing has always been more than a transaction—it’s a transfer of emotion. Ancient tribal trade wasn’t about selling flint; it was about story, connection, and trust. Somewhere between billboards and banner ads, we lost that truth. Marketing became about shouting louder, buying attention instead of earning belief. Jiwa argues for returning to the art: changing how people feel, not just what they think. In this sense, marketing is not manipulation—it’s generosity.

The Death of the Funnel

Traditional marketing funnels—attract leads, push to sale—no longer work in an era of infinite choices. Jiwa proposes flipping the funnel: delight one person at a time and let loyalty grow through word-of-mouth. This “reverse funnel” idea mirrors Seth Godin’s permission marketing—focus on those who care deeply rather than chasing everyone. The old formula (product ➝ advertise ➝ sell) gives way to a new one (care ➝ empathize ➝ delight).

From USP to Emotional Difference

Rosser Reeves’s concept of the Unique Selling Proposition (USP) once ruled advertising. Pampers, for instance, focused on dryness—the “driest diaper” claim—yet lost ground to Huggies, which appealed to mothers’ hearts. Jiwa argues that the USP is obsolete in a world where everything is “better, faster, cheaper.” The differentiator now is emotional: how people see themselves through your product. Starbucks turned coffee into identity; Warby Parker turned glasses into personal style; Airbnb turned travel into belonging. These are not features. They are feelings.

Why This Matters to You

For anyone trying to build a brand today, Jiwa’s message is a wake-up call: stop chasing attention and start earning affection. Ask not, “How can I be noticed?” but “How can I matter?” Marketing is not a battle to be won; it’s a story to be lived. And that story begins with empathy, generosity, and a willingness to see the world as your customers do. Do that, and you’ll never need to ‘advertise’ again—your customers will do it for you.

At the heart of Jiwa’s book lies her signature framework, The Difference Model—a six-part map designed to help you reimagine your business around empathy and meaning. It’s less a business plan and more an emotional compass that guides how you see, serve, and shape customer experiences. The Difference Model pivots from asking “how do we sell this?” to “why would this matter?”—a fundamental reordering that changes everything about innovation and marketing.

1. Principles: Grounded in Truth

Principles uncover three layers of truth: about you, your industry, and your people. These truths shape your story. For instance, Apple’s truth was that technology should serve humanity beautifully, not just functionally. MOO.com realized that online printing could be both affordable and gorgeous. Understanding these principles allows you to play to strengths and confront weaknesses honestly. Jiwa reminds readers: authenticity isn’t marketing spin—it’s strategic clarity.

2. Purpose: The Bigger Why

Purpose answers the question, “Why do we exist?” beyond profit. The best companies, Jiwa notes, aspire to a mission that contributes to human flourishing. Google satisfies curiosity; Method transforms cleaning into joy; Sugru empowers creativity by helping people fix rather than discard. Purpose gives direction—and makes stories stick.

3. People: Know Who You Serve

Jiwa cautions against relying solely on demographics. What matters aren’t age or location but worldviews—values, beliefs, and emotional drivers. Dollar Shave Club, for example, recognized men’s frustration with overpriced razors, crafting a brand voice that turned irritation into humor and empowerment. When you truly know your people, your marketing becomes a mirror, not a megaphone.

4. Personal: Make It Feel Human

This pillar is about emotion. How do customers feel about themselves when they interact with your brand? Amazon’s Jeff Bezos says, “We see our customers as invited guests to a party.” Similarly, TOMS made buyers feel generous through its One for One model. People don’t fall in love with products—they fall in love with how those products make them feel.

5. Perception: Beliefs Shape Behavior

Our beliefs drive what we buy. Jiwa cites The Little Veggie Patch Co., which helps city dwellers grow their own food. Their customers weren’t buying planters—they were buying self-sufficiency and sustainability. Successful brands shape beliefs because beliefs shape stories. What people believe about themselves in your presence determines your value.

6. Product: Make Something People Actually Want

Finally, your product must close the loop by delivering tangible and emotional value. Uber’s founders saw that people weren’t just hailing cabs—they were seeking convenience and reliability. Their app made riders feel in control. Jiwa reminds us that people don’t pay for function; they pay for feeling. Every great product fulfills both a practical and emotional job.

Together, these six pillars form a complete ecosystem of meaningful creation. Use the Difference Map, Jiwa suggests, to brainstorm, refine, and test. Print it out, scribble on it, and share it with your team. Because difference isn’t an event—it’s a practice of aligning what you make with why it matters.

Gone are the days of companies appealing to the mythical ‘average consumer.’ Jiwa declares that the bell curve has melted—mass markets have fragmented into tiny communities of meaning. The businesses of tomorrow win not by being for everyone, but by mattering deeply to someone.

The Power of Serving the Edges

Most game-changing innovations began at the fringes. Chobani reached people craving authentic yogurt; Airbnb appealed to travelers seeking adventure and belonging; Method attracted eco-conscious design lovers. Great brands whisper “we see you” instead of shouting “notice us.” When you serve the right someone, your story spreads by resonance, not reach. This aligns with Seth Godin’s Tribes philosophy: people don’t follow brands—they follow beliefs.

Belonging Over Broad Appeal

Mr. Ryan, the Dublin shopkeeper Jiwa remembers fondly, ran a small neighborhood store that thrived despite giant supermarkets nearby. He knew his customers’ names, their stories, even their families. He didn’t try to serve everyone—he made himself indispensable to a few. That’s the same principle driving successful microbrands today: intimacy at scale through authenticity and understanding.

Word of Mouth as the Ultimate Marketing Engine

The Rubik’s Cube became a worldwide sensation not through advertising, but emotional contagion—owning one made you feel clever. Jiwa shows that people don’t share products; they share feelings and identity. When your brand helps them express who they are, they become your storytellers. Building a brand one person at a time isn’t slow; it’s sustainable. Intimacy beats interruption.

Why do people pay more for a macaron than a muffin? Jiwa’s answer: because value is emotional, not logical. Intangibles—beauty, joy, identity—create real-world economic value. Brands that master emotional economics don’t compete on price; they compete on how they make people feel.

The Fortune, Not the Cookie

Jiwa’s analogy from her earlier work explains this perfectly: people don’t buy the cookie; they buy the fortune inside. Apple’s white earphones transformed a technical accessory into a cultural signal. The Sydney Opera House, purely through architecture, generates a billion dollars annually in tourism because it evokes awe. The lesson? Feelings scale faster than features.

Café Cakes and McDonald’s Milkshakes

Jiwa illustrates that customers don’t always articulate what they really want. A woman sharing cake at a café wanted a smaller cake, not to split one. Similarly, Harvard’s Clayton Christensen found that commuters bought McDonald’s milkshakes not as breakfast, but as convenient one-handed snacks. The emotional job—a satisfying, time-passing treat—trumped logical demographics. (This is Christensen’s famous “Jobs to Be Done” theory, which Jiwa echoes.)

Soft Innovation, Hard Impact

Changi Airport’s butterfly garden, or Method’s elegantly designed bottles, do little to enhance function—but everything to elevate emotion. Jiwa calls these ‘soft innovations’—small design or service touches that create loyalty beyond reason. What you can’t measure might be what matters most.

In her final chapters, Jiwa brings the conversation full circle with a challenge: stop striving to be seen—start choosing to matter. Every person, whether marketer, entrepreneur, or creative, faces the same choice: to coast in business as usual, or to create difference through empathy, courage, and authenticity.

Being ‘The One’

Many professionals—designers, journalists, coders—feel undervalued in an era of crowdsourcing and competition. Jiwa encourages turning frustration into focus: don’t aim to be one of many, aim to be the one someone needs. Jessica Hische and Nancy Duarte didn’t become sought-after creatives by lowering prices; they became irreplaceable by specializing and imbuing their work with difference. The same applies to any brand: don’t be cheaper—be chosen.

Heart as a Competitive Advantage

Great work, Jiwa says, always has heart left in it. Empathy and vulnerability turn good ideas into great ones. A product with heart doesn’t just function—it becomes part of someone’s story. A business with heart doesn’t just sell—it connects. In this way, the difference between success and significance isn’t scale—it’s sincerity.

Your Role in the Future of Business

In a world of automation and abundance, the only sustainable advantage is humanity. As Jiwa writes, “The ideas that fly are those fueled by empathy.” She ends not with a formula, but an invitation—to look up, listen, and lead with heart. In doing so, you don’t just build better businesses; you build a better world. The difference you make isn’t what you sell—it’s what you help others become.