And that the most powerful form of marketing communications is word of mouth based on differentiation.

FORBES: How LensWork Leverages the Power of Niche

Aside from whether investors choose to value potential earnings growth over profit stability, McDonald thinks there may also be some differentiation this year based on capital return.

FORBES: As JPMorgan Readies Earnings, London Whale Back In Focus

On its differentiation strategy, Rakuten positioned itself as a virtual shopping mall, based on a business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) model.

FORBES: Asia's Rising E-Commerce Nation: A Q&A With Rakuten Malaysia CEO Masaya Ueno

Wal-Mart's "energized differentiation, " an advertising term for the direction a brand is going based on consumer interest, loyalty and momentum, dropped 50% between 2011 and 2012 among college-educated adults, it said.

WSJ: Wal-Mart Ad Campaign Touts 'American Success Story'

Continuous monitoring of the differentiation process of stem cells is of great importance for the development of cell-based regenerative medicine therapies and is extremely novel.

UNESCO: 2010 UK and Ireland Winners

With this project she will develop a new label-free biomolecular detection method, based on a technique called Plasmon Resonance Energy Transfer (PRET), to monitor biochemical pathways involved in the differentiation of stem cells.

UNESCO: 2010 UK and Ireland Winners