The  Positioning  Statement  Debriefed  

An  overview  of  a  positioning  statement.  

Rules  of  a  Positioning  Statement  

Your  posi)oning  statement  should  be  your  internal  marke)ng  guideline  for:    •  Who  your  primary  market  is    •  What  you  want  to  communicate  to  your  primary  market    •  How  you  want  to  position  your  brand    •  The  Value  you  want  your  customer  to  see  in  your  brand  over  other  

brands    Think  of  a  positioning  statement  as  the  nucleus  for  all  that  is  marketing.  Develop  first  to  help  guide  marketing  messaging  and  creative  efforts.  It  is  the  uniqueness  to  which  you  can  standup  and  shout.  The  greatest  outcome  for  creating  a  positioning  statement  is  to  give  FOCUS  to  your  message,  and  attract  customers  who  understand  precisely  what  they  are  buying  into.  The  language  is  not  catchy,  it’s  plain  and  simple.  

The  Nucleus  

Positioning  Statement  

Strategy  

Goals  

Tactics  

Tagline  

New  Product  Developments  

Messaging  

Communication  

Mission/Vision  

Brand  Identity  

Everything  marketing  should  revolve  around  the  Positioning  Statement.  

Common  Mistakes  

Here  are  some  common  mistakes  when  wri)ng  a  posi)oning  statement.    •  Writing  the  language  to  be  “target  audience-­‐ready”,  like  an  elevator  

speech  •  Not  defining  the  audience  specifically  enough  •  Not  identifying  benefits  that  are  unique  •  Using  reasons  to  believe  that  are  too  soft  or  are  not  verifiable  before  

purchase  

Attributes  of  Positioning  Success  

The  posi)oning  statement  should  be:      •  Relevant  •  Unique  •  Credible  •  Clear  •  Stable    If  your  posi+oning  varies  too  far  within  the  communica+on  channels,  you  will  confuse  your  audience  about  your  brand’s  context,  promise,  personality  or  values;  this  is  catastrophic.  

Q&A  

What  if  customer  “B”  likes  some  of  our  other  product/service  features?    That’s  great!  But  ultimately  know  who  is  your  key  customer.  Most  customers  will  appreciate  that  you  have  clarity  in  how  you’re  the  best,  and  that  the  language  says  something  different  than  everyone  else.    

How  does  this  relate  to  the  vision  and  mission  statements?    The  vision  and  mission  statements  primarily  guide  the  company’s  direction  as  a  whole.  The  positioning  statement  supports  these  statements  in  how  it  guides  the  branding  and  marketing  messages.    The  Mission  statement  is  primarily  used  to  guide  employees  and  how  they  fit  into  the  business’s  core  purpose.  A  Vision  statement  is  where  you  want  the  organization  to  be  in  the  future.  A  positioning  statement  is  how  you  want  your  brand/product/service  to  be  perceived  by  prospects  and  customers,  so  you  can  create  strategies  to  achieve  it.    

Can  I  change  the  words?  Yes,  you  should  tailor  words  for  each  communication  channel.  

 

Q&A  

What  if  we  want  to  expand  our  product  line  into  areas  that  don’t  relate  to  our  posi)oning  statement?  

If  you  diversify  into  new  territory,  then  that  product  line  should  get  it’s  own  positioning  statement  with  separate  marketing  messages,  strategies,  and  tactics    

Do  we  have  to  use  these  exact  words  that  are  in  the  posi)oning  statement?    EXTERNALLY  -­‐  No    Use  it  as  a  tool  to  guide  your  marketing  communications  to  your  key  customer.    It’s  okay  to  mention  other  features  as  long  as  people  first  clearly  understand  your  uniqueness.    Keep  statement  in  mind  when  developing  your  marketing  messages  and  choosing  images      INTERNALLY  -­‐  Yes    Maintaining  the  exact  words  of  the  positioning  statement  provides  clear  direction  and  internal  understanding.  

Positioning  Case  Study  Example  

Brand:  Volvo  Automobile  Posi)oning  Statement:  Best  in  Safety  Target:    upscale,  between  25  and  40,  well  educated,  family  oriented,  motivations  include  safety,  reliability,  functionability,  fun,  style  Suppor)ng  components  of  posi)oning  statement:  Logo  represents  steel  and  strength  Consumer  Reports  says  that  consumers  think  of  Volvo  when  they  think  of  car  safety.  Coverage  plan  –  “Safe  +  Secure.  Feel  as  secure  purchasing  a  new  Volvo  as  you  do  driving  one.”  Promotes  results  in  crash  tests.  Video  title  -­‐  Volvo  Car  Corporation  improves  safety  with  communicating  cars  Club  –  Volvo  Saved  My  Life  Club  World  first  Pedestrian  Detection  feature  Other  secondary  benefits:  innovative  technology,  beautiful  design,  environmental  care  and  quality  of  life  Conclusion:    You  can  state  other  features  and  benefits  within  various  communication  challenges.  The  goal  is  for  everyone  to  know  your  positioning  first,  foremost,  and  top  of  mind.  As  an  example,  Volvo  describes  their  S60  on  the  website,  “Discover  the  high  standard  of  performance,  design  and  safety  of  the  2013  Volvo  S60  sports  sedan,  now  available  with  All-­‐Wheel  Drive.  On  top  of  its  sleek  design,  you'll  feel  the  power  of  its  turbocharged  engine  and  advanced  stability  traction  control.”  

Volvo  Online  Support  

Volvo  Online  Support  

Positioning  Template  

Your  posi)oning  statement  should  be  your  internal  guideline  with  a  format  such  as  follows:    For  (target  audience)    (Brand  X)  is  the  only  (market  context)    that  (unique  benefit  delivered)    because  (reasons  to  believe  -­‐  proof  that  the  brand  can  deliver  the  unique  benefits  by  items  such  as  suppor+ng  features  or  tes+monials.  These  proofs  should  be  verifiable  before  purchase  by  a  prospect;  in  other  words,  you  shouldn’t  have  to  already  be  a  customer  to  verify  the  reasons  to  believe.)  

WORKSHEET  Use  the  next  few  slides  as  a  guide  to  create  your  positioning  statement.  

Proposed  Positioning  for  __________  

We  believe  that  the  proposed  positioning  statement  promotes  your  primary  benefit  to  support  your  primary  features.    For  (target  audience)  For  _______________________________________________________  Brand  X  is  the  only  (market  context)  __________________________________________________________  that  (unique  benefit  delivered)  __________________________________________________________  because  (reasons  to  believe)  because  ___________________________________________________  

Benefits  to  the  Primary  Target  

Here  are  some  examples  on  how  the  posi)oning  statement  will  work  once  it’s  seeded  into  the  marketplace:    •  Insert  list  on  how  the  primary  target  may  react.  __________________  

Supporting  Features  

These  are  some  of  the  primary  features  that  appear  to  support  the  recommended  posi)oning  statement:    •  Write  down  list.  ____________________________________  

Supporting  Messaging  

Here  are  some  examples  of  suppor)ng  messages  that  relate  to  and  strengthen  the  posi)oning  statement,  thereby  strengthening  the  mindshare  of  consumers.    Write  down  list  of  poten+al  messages.  ______________________________  

 

Good  Articles  to  Help  Understanding  

http://www.formalifesciencemarketing.com/newsletters/crafting-­‐a-­‐clear-­‐effective-­‐positioning-­‐statement/  http://darksidemarketing.com/2009/10/07/practical-­‐examples-­‐of-­‐a-­‐positioning-­‐statement-­‐in-­‐action/    

Ask  for  a  complimentary  marke)ng  analysis.  

 Contact  Nicole  at  262.289.9210  x215