BRAND POSITIONING & STRATEGY

WHAT IS POSITIONING?

POSITIONING – THE ACT DESIGNING AN OFFER SO THAT IT OCCUPIES A DISTINCT AND VALUED PLACE IN THE MINDS OF THE TARGET CUSTOMERS

(KOTLER 1998)

Battle is in consumers’ minds. There is a ladder inside every consumer’s head for every product and service. The key was to develop strategies according to where on the ladder the particular brand was placed by the consumer.

(Ries & Trout)

POSITIONING: THE IMPORTANCE

• MARKET SEGMENTATION AND TARGET MARKETING ARE PREREQUISITES TO SUCCESSFUL POSITIONING.

• FROM THE RESEARCH DATA AND THE MARKETING STRATEGY, IT IS NECESSARY TO FORMULATE A POSITIONING STATEMENT THAT IS IN TUNE WITH THE PROMOTIONAL OBJECTIVES.

• THE POSITIONING CONCEPT IS A VERY IMPORTANT STRATEGIC TERM.

• THIS IMPORTANCE OF ESTABLISHING A DISTINCT IMAGE OF A BRAND IN PEOPLE'S MINDS HAS DEVELOPED MAINLY BECAUSE OF INCREASINGLY COMPETITIVE MARKET CONDITIONS.

POSITIONING: CONCEPTS• SOLVES PROBLEMS• PROVIDES BENEFITS FOR

CUSTOMERS• GETS FAVOURABLE PERCEPTION OF

INVESTORS• SELF-IMAGE ENHANCEMENT• EGO IDENTIFICATION• BELONGINGNESS AND SOCIAL

MEANINGFULNESS• AFFECTIVE FULFILLMENT• PROVIDE SENSORY STIMULATION• PROVIDE COGNITIVE STIMULATION

Symbolic positions

Experiential positions

POSITIONING - SEGMENTATIONWhat is your current position? What does the "space" look like — what are the most

important dimensions in the category? What are the other products in that space and where

are they? What are the gaps, unfilled positions or "holes" in the

category?What position do you want to have? Finding an unmet consumer need — or at least one that’s not

met now by competition Identifying a product strength that is both unique and

important Determining how to correct a product weakness and thereby

enhance a product’s appeal. Changing consumer usage patterns to include different or

additional uses for the product Identifying market segments, which represent the best targets

for a product

NEW POSITIONING: HOW?CREATING A NEW POSITIONING CAN COME FROM TWO SOURCES:• PHYSICAL PRODUCT DIFFERENCE• COMMUNICATIONS — FINDING A MEMORABLE AND

MEANINGFUL WAY TO DESCRIBE THE PRODUCT (E.G., CALLING 7-UP THE "UNCOLA").

AS RISE AND TROUT POINT OUT, "POSITIONING IS NOT WHAT YOU DO TO A PRODUCT; POSITIONING IS WHAT YOU DO TO THE MIND OF THE PROSPECT."

POSITIONING: TYPESPositioningFunctional

Expressive / Symbolic

FUNCTIONAL AND EXPRESSIVE POSITIONING

• FUNCTIONALLY POSITIONED BRANDS STRESS THE FEATURES AND BENEFITS.

• THIS MAY TAKE THE FORM OF A PROMOTIONAL DEVICE, SUCH AS A LOWER PRICE OR EXTRA PRODUCT FREE.

Expressive form of positioning stresses the emotional or expressive associations

REPOSITIONINGREPOSITIONING - CHANGING A BRAND'S STATUS IN COMPARISON TO THAT OF THE COMPETING BRANDS. REPOSITIONING IS EFFECTED USUALLY THROUGH CHANGING THE MARKETING MIX IN RESPONSE TO CHANGES IN THE MARKET PLACE, OR DUE TO A FAILURE TO REACH THE BRAND'S MARKETING OBJECTIVES.REPOSITIONING IS NECESSARY WHEN THE PREFERENCES OF THE MARKET SHIFT. FOR EXAMPLE, A PREMIUM BRAND OF SHAMPOO SOLD AT A RELATIVELY HIGH PRICE WITH ADVERTISING THAT EMPHASIZES ITS SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE MAY NEED TO BE REPOSITIONED AS CONSUMERS BECOME MORE PRICE SENSITIVE.

POSITIONING: SUCCESSFUL EXAMPLES

Virgin Airways positions itself as part of a bigger picture. They were early adopters of in-flight Internet access and individual movie screens.

They now have plans to introduce space travel! Their founder’s philanthropy is legendary. Out-of-the-box thinking has positioned the company as a leading edge, responsible world corporation, rather than just a British corporation – a position important, especially to young Americans.

POSITIONING: SUCCESSFUL EXAMPLES

Michelin has positioned itself as upscale but affordable. A brand should be more than the product it sells and Michelin is a good example of this.

Michelin Tires are used by racecar drivers, but Michelin achieved its position primarily by becoming the comprehensive authority on all things auto travel through its maps and guides, which are the best you can get. These qualities are extended in the consumers’ minds to Michelin’s tires.

REPOSITIONING: SUCCESSFUL EXAMPLES

General Electric is a good example of a company repositioning itself. GE is an international brand. By focusing the public’s attention on the wind and water turbines they produce, they are aligning themselves with sustainable energy production.

The company likes to talk about what GE is doing in other areas of energy production that cause even less environmental impact. In this way, the company hopes to reposition itself as a good guy.

REPOSITIONING: SUCCESSFUL EXAMPLESOld Spice had an outdated image that made young consumers shopping for deodorant skip right over to the sexy Axe or the sporty Right Guard. As a result, the Old Spice brand management team set out to give the brand a fresher, more edgy voice, while honoring its traditional reputation for wordly experience and masculinity.

The “Smell Like a Man, Man” campaign shows a confident young man praise the product’s qualities in an edgy and slightly humorous way. The result of this brand innovation effort was that Old Spice not only became part of young men’s grooming consideration set, but the brand became the market leader in the men’s deodorants and antiperspirants category.

Thank you!