LAP-PM-019-SP © 2014, MBA Research and Curriculum Center® Getting Piece of Mind 1
LAPLeadership, Attitude, Performance...making learning pay!Product/Service Management LAP 19 Performance Indicator: PM:042 Student Guide
Explain the purpose of positioning.
Objectives:
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Factors Used to Position Products/Services
Getting Piece of Mind Find Your Place
Describe types of positioning strategies.
How Do You Stack Up?
Why bother learning about factors used to position products/services?
What would you do?
Use what you’ve learned—right now!
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LAP-PM-019-SP © 2014, MBA Research and Curriculum Center® Getting Piece of Mind 2
What do you think when you see:
• AproductmadebyApple?
• ABMWoraMercedes speeding by?
• Someoneopeningacold canofMountainDew?
Believeitornot,marketershaveworked very hard to create a certain “position” for each of these productsinyourmind.Theywantyou to perceive the product in a specificwayandtochooseitoverall other options. It’s called posi-tioning—andit’saveryimportantpartofmarketing!
Find Your PlaceTosellsuccessfully,everyproductandbrandmustbeproperlypositioned. Positioningisacrucialmarketingactivityinwhichmarketersdesigna
strategytogiveaproductorbrandadistinctplaceincustomers’minds.
Theultimategoalofpositioningistoshowcustomerswhyaproductis
uniqueanddifferentfromallitscompetitors.Whenit’sdoneright,positioning:
Why do so many people want Beats by Dr. Dre headphones? Because Beats’ marketers have done a great job of po-sitioning their product—making Beats headphones stand out in the crowd.
Demonstrates how a product or brand stands
out in the crowd. Let’s say you need a new pair
of headphones to use with your laptop or iPod.
When you search www.bestbuy.com for options
(and there are nearly 700 pairs of over-the-ear
headphonestochoosefrom),youlearnthatyou
canbuyapairofSonyheadphonesfor$19.99,a
pairofSkullcandyheadphonesfor$59.99,ora
pairofBeatsbyDr.Dreheadphonesfor$299.99.
Clearly,therearesomehugepriceandqual-
ity differences between these different sets of
headphones.Thoughyoumightnothave$300to
spend,there’snotmuchdoubtthatyouwould
lovetobuythoseBeatsheadphonesbecause—
let’sfaceit—they’rereallycool.Thisproduct’s
marketershavepositioneditthisway.
LAP-PM-019-SP © 2014, MBA Research and Curriculum Center® Getting Piece of Mind 3
Listen Up!
In business-to-business sell-ingsituations,itislessimpor-tantformarketerstoappealtoemotionstopositionproductssuccessfully.Businesscustom-erstendtomakebuyingdeci-sions based on cut-and-dried criteriasuchasproductspecifi-cations or features (which we’ll discussmorelateronintheLAP).Althoughbusinesscus-tomersmightnotgetemotion-al over choosing a new color printer or a piece of heavy machinery,it’sstillextremelyimportanttopositionindustrialproducts carefully.
Expresses a product’s uniqueness in a memorable way. Having a unique product is
agreatstart—butit’snotenoughonitsown.Forpositioningtowork,marketersmust
conveythisuniquenessinawaythatcausescustomerstoperceivetheproductor
brand howmarketerswantthemto.Theanswercansometimesbeassimpleasa
well-craftedmarketing slogan.CheckoutmarketingbloggerSuzyKedzierski’s
post“TheBestAdvertisingSlogansEverWritten”(http://marketingcommunica-
tionsink.com/2013/02/10/best-advertising-slogans-ever-written/).Whichslogans
doyouthinkarethemostmemorable?Howdotheyhelptoreinforcetheirproductor
brand’sintendedposition(e.g.,highquality,greatvalue,etc.)?Whatslogansorcatch-
phrases would you add to this list?
Connects to customers’ emotions. Thinkaboutsomeofyourfavoriteproductsand
brands.Whydoyoulovethemsomuch?MaybeeverytimeyoupassbyaTacoBell,
itmakesyousmileandthinkofallthelate-nightmealsyou’vehadtherewithyour
friends.Or,perhapsyoupreferacertainbrandofjeansbecauseyoualwayslookand
feelyourbestwhenyou’rewearingthem.You’veconnectedwiththeseproductsina
waythatinvolvesyourfeelings,notjustyourrationalthoughts.Thisismostlikely
theresultofcarefulpositioning.TacoBell’smarketersdefinitelyknewwhattheywere
doingwhentheystartedpromotingtherestaurantastheperfectplacetopickupyour
“fourthmeal.”
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ckph
oto/
Thin
ksto
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LAP-PM-019-SP © 2014, MBA Research and Curriculum Center® Getting Piece of Mind 4
Marketersmustkeeppositioningsimpletoavoidcustomer
confusion.Theyshouldchoosehowtheywanttopositionaproduct
or brand and stick to that choice. Changing a product’s position too
frequentlyorattemptingtoshowcasetoomanyofitsbenefitscan
backfireandcausecustomerstooverlooktheproduct’sunique-
ness. Consider a fast-food restaurant. Does it want to be known
forhavingthebestburgers,forbeingthebestplacetotakekids,
forhavingthelowestprices?Evenifarestaurant’smarketersthink
theirproductoffersallofthesebenefits,theyshouldchooseto
focusonjustoneofthemforpositioningpurposes.Otherwise,
customersmaymissthemessage.WillDylan’sarticle“Even
McDonald’sHasaMarketPosition”—http://www.marketingyours-
mallbusiness.com/MarketPositioning2.htm—explainsmoreabout
thepositioningstrategiesofsomeofthebiggestfast-foodchains.
Hit the target
Have youevervisitedanartmuseum?Youmightlookataparticular
paintingorsculptureandfinditabsolutelybeautiful.But,thenext
personwhocomesalongdoesn’tlikeitatall.Apieceofartwill
never be “all things to all people”—and neither will a product or
brand.That’swhymarketersdetermineaspecifictarget market
tosellto.Everythingmarketersdo,fromproductdesigntopric-
ingtodistributiontopromotion,isdonewiththetargetmarketin
mind.This,ofcourse,includespositioning.Marketersaimtoposi-
tionaproductwithinthemindsoftheirtargetcustomers,notthe
mindsoftheentirepublic—thatwouldbefartoodifficult.
LAP-PM-019-SP © 2014, MBA Research and Curriculum Center® Getting Piece of Mind 5
Beforemarketerscanstartpositioningaproduct,theymustthoroughly
understandtheirtargetcustomers.Whatdotheywant,need,value?Howdo
theyevaluateoptionsandmakebuyingdecisions?Clothingcompaniessuch
asAbercrombie&FitchorHollistertargetthe“young,cool”crowd,andthey
positiontheirbrandsaccordingly.Itwouldn’tmakesensetopositionthese
brandsasbeingvaluebrandsthataremoreaffordablethanotheroptions
becausethetargetmarketisnotprimarilyconcernedwithsavingmoney.
Gain the advantage
Aproduct’s positionismeaninglesswithoutconsideringthecompetition.
Noonecanstandoutinacrowdunlessthere’sacrowdtostandoutin,right?
Everypositioningstrategyshoulddemonstrateaproductorbrand’suniqueness
and appeal in relationtoitscompetitors.Aproductmayhavethelowestprice,
thebestquality,themostfeatures,etc.However,noneofthesepositionswill
makesensewithoutcomparisontocompetingproducts.
Thepositioningstrategythatmarketerscreateforaproductorbrandshould
helpthecompanytogainacompetitiveadvantage.Acompetitive advantage
isany“edge”acompanyhasthatallowsittocreatemoresales,generatemore
revenue,retainmorecustomers,etc.,thanitscompetition.Perhapsacollege
oruniversityhasbeennamedasthetopschoolintheentireregionforpre-med
students.Or,alocalicecreamshopmakesitsreputationbycreatingextraor-
dinaryflavorsthatcan’tbefoundanywhereelse.Marketerscanusethese
unique attributes to create positioning strategies that will help these business-
esbeatoutthecompetition.Formoreinformationoncompetitiveadvantage,
check out http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/competitive-advantage/.
Anicecreamshopmightgainacompetitive advantageinthemarketbyofferingmore—ormoreunusual—flavorsthancustomerscanfindanywhere else in town. Do any of your local ice creamshopshaveacompetitiveadvantage?Whatmakestheshopstandoutinthecrowd?
Blend images/Thinkstock
LAP-PM-019-SP © 2014, MBA Research and Curriculum Center® Getting Piece of Mind 6
1.Whatispositioning?
2.Whatthreethingsdoeseffectivepositioningaccomplish?
3.Whyisitimportanttokeeppositioningsimple?
4. What is the relationship between positioning and the targetmarket?
5.Whatistherelationshipbetweenpositioningand thecompetition?
Every product or brand’s position is created in relation tothecompetition.Incertaincircumstances,it’seffectiveto“callout”thecompetitionwhilepromotingthisposition.Forinstance,atoothpastebrandmightadvertiseitspositionasbeing “preferred over Crest toothpastebyfouroutoffivedentists.”Theadvertisementdoesn’texplain,however,thatthe dentists surveyed were all known to prefer the brand beforebeingasked.Theresultsare skewed in the brand’s favor. Isthisjustanormal,acceptedpartofpositioning,orisitun-ethical? What do you think?
Summary
Positioningisacrucialmarketingactivityinwhichmarketersdesigna
strategytogiveaproductorbrandadistinctplaceincustomers’minds.
Successfulpositioningdemonstrateshowaproductorbrandstandsoutin
thecrowd,expressestheproductorbrand’suniquenessinamemorable
way,andconnectstocustomers’emotions.Marketersmustkeepposi-
tioningsimpletoavoidcustomerconfusion.Positioningshouldbegeared
towardthetargetmarketanddesignedinrelationtothecompetition.
LAP-PM-019-SP © 2014, MBA Research and Curriculum Center® Getting Piece of Mind 7
How Do You Stack Up?Thereareanumberofdifferentstrategiesthatmarketersmightusetoposition aproductorbrand.But,nomatterwhichonetheychoose,itmustbebasedona
determinant factor—somethingthetargetmarketreallycaresabout,something
thatmakesabigdifferencetothem.Forexample,whenyougotofillupyourcar
withgas,howconcernedareyouaboutthequalityofthefuel?Youprobablyassume
thatmostgasstationswillprovidefuelofaboutthesamequality.Mostlikely,price
isthedeterminantfactortoyouandtherestofthetargetmarket(asdemonstrated
bythepopularityofmobileappsandwebsitessuchaswww.gasbuddy.com).
Itwouldbeapoorstrategy,then,foragasstation’smarketerstopositionitsfuel
on quality rather than price.
Positioning strategies
Let’stakealookatsomeofthecommonstrategiesthatmarketersusetoposition
products and brands.
Positioning by product attributes. Marketersoftencreateapositionforaproductby
highlighting the uniqueness of its:
• Physical form and features—Whatdoestheproductlook,feel,smell,sound,ortastelike?Ifoneofthesefacetsofaproductisuniqueandappealing,market- ersmayuseitforpositioning.YankeeCandle,forinstance,hasfoundalotofsuccessbypositioningitsproductsasthebest-smellingcandlesonthemarket.
Careful positioning shows customers why a product is unique and different from all its competitors—and expresses that uniqueness in a memorable way.
iSto
ck/T
hink
stock
LAP-PM-019-SP © 2014, MBA Research and Curriculum Center® Getting Piece of Mind 8
Whenitcomestofeatures,customerswanttoknowwhatfunctionaproductperformsandhowitworks.Productfeaturestendtobeespeciallyimportantforbusinesscustomers.Forexample,aplantmanagermaybelookingforspecificfunctionswhenpurchasinganewpieceofhigh-techmanufacturingequipment.Shemaywantittohaveafeaturethatallowsittorunwithorwithoutahumanoperator.
Marketersmustbecareful,however,nottorelytooheavilyon
formandfeaturesforproductpositioning.Whilethephysicaland
functionalaspectsofaproductmaybeunique,customersare
really looking for benefits.Theymakepurchasestofulfilltheir
wants,tomeettheirneeds,andtosolvetheirproblems.Theydon’t
choose a pair of basketball shoes because of the rubber and leather
they’remadewith;theychoosetheshoesbecausethey’recomfort-
able,becausetheylookgood,orbecausetheyprovideexcellent
footstability.Allofthesearebenefits.Formoreinsightonfeatures
v.benefits,readJenniferBourn’sarticle“BaittheHook:Marketwith
Benefits,NotFeatures”athttp://www.bourncreative.com/bait-the-
hook-market-with-benefits-not-features.
• Performance—Marketersmaychoosetopositionaproductbasedon its superior performance(howwellitdoesthejobitwasdesignedtodo).Whirlpoolisakitchen-appliancebrandthathasusedthisstrategysuccessfully.AnotherexampleisUnderArmour.Thisbrand’sathleticgearisintendedtoholdupwell,helpingathletes to excel in all types of weather and conditions.
Under Armour guarantees the performance and durability of its products. If consumers aren’t 100% satisfied with their Under Armour purchases, they can return the gear for a full refund—at any time, and for any reason.
UnderArmour.com
LAP-PM-019-SP © 2014, MBA Research and Curriculum Center® Getting Piece of Mind 9
• Durability—Anotherwaytopositionaproductmaybeitsdurability (how long it lastsbeforeneedingtobereplacedorrepaired).ThisisastrategythathasbeenusedbybothTimexwatchesandCraftsmantools(aninterestingcompanyprofileforCraftsmancanbefoundhere— http://industrytoday.com/article_view.asp?ArticleID=2857).
• Reliability—Someproductslendthemselvestoapositioningstrategybasedonreliability(howconsistentlyaproductperformsovertime).Spottycellphoneservice that frequently drops calls would not be considered reliable. Harley DavidsonmotorcyclesandZippolighters,however,aretwoexamplesofproductsthathavebeenpositionedontheirreliability.Zippolightersevencomewithalifetimeguarantee.
• Repairability—Easeofrepairisanimportantbenefitformanycustomers.Marketersmaychooserepairability(howsimpleorinexpensiveitistofixaproduct)asapositioningstrategy.Certainmakesofautomobiles,forexample,buildreputationsonbeingmorerepairablethanothers.MSNputtogetheraslideshowofthe10cheapestautomobilestomaintain.Youcanseeithere— http://editorial.autos.msn.com/10-cheapest-cars-to-maintain#1.Anyofthecompaniesonthislistmightusethispositivepublicitytosupportapositioningstrategy based on repairability.
• Manufacturing or creation process—Somecustomersareconcernedabouthowaproductismadeorwhatitcontains.TheymaywantplasticproductsthatareBPA-free(BPAisachemicalthatmanypeopleconsiderharmful),ortheymaywantbakedgoodsthataregluten-free.Theymaylookforproductsthathavebeenproducedwithoutbeingtestedonanimalsorwithminimalimpactontheenvironment.Ifaproductisstronginoneoftheseareas,marketersmaychooseto position it accordingly.
One way to create a position for a product is by highlighting what it does (or doesn’t) contain. Gluten-free, sugar-free, low-sodium, and no-fat are all common strategies for positioning foods.
BettyCrocker.com
LAP-PM-019-SP © 2014, MBA Research and Curriculum Center® Getting Piece of Mind 10
• Ease of purchase—Inouronlineworld,competitionisasfierceasever.Manybusinessessellcompetingproductsonline,anditcanbedifficulttostandouttocustomersinsuchacrowdedmarketplace.Onlineretailerscansetthemselvesapartbymakingtheirprocessesforordering,shipping,makingreturns,etc.,assimpleaspossible.Zappos.com,anonlineclothingandshoeretailer,issomewhatfamousforitsgenerous“freereturns”policy.Thecompany’smarketershavecertainlypositionedit on this strong product attribute.
• Quick delivery—Today’scustomerswantwhattheywant—andtheywantit now.Abusinessthatcangetitsproductintocustomers’handsfasterthanthecompetitionmayhavethefoundationforaneffectivepositioningstrategy.Forexample,someproductsfromAmazon.comhavesame-daydelivery.And,JimmyJohn’s,asandwichrestaurant,wantsitstargetmarkettoknowaboutits“freakyfast”delivery.
• Quality—Theideaofqualitycanbedifficulttograsp,sinceitmeansdifferentthingstodifferentpeople.Qualityencompassesmostoftheproductattributesalreadylistedhere,includingperformanceandreliability.Atop-qualityproductissomethingthatcustomersconsider“thebest.”BrandsthathavepositionedthemselvesonqualityincludeApple,WholeFoodsMarket,andProcterandGamble.
Whole Foods Market, which has positioned itself on quality, evaluates its products in terms of nutrition, freshness, appearance, and taste.
WholeFoods.com
LAP-PM-019-SP © 2014, MBA Research and Curriculum Center® Getting Piece of Mind 11
Positioning by people (service). Positioning by a product attribute can be very
effective,butit’snottheonlywaytoriseabovethecompetition.Let’sfaceit—
someproductsarejusttoosimilartostandoutontheirown(e.g.,lightbulbsor
oilchanges).Whenthisisthecase,marketersarewisetopositiontheproductor
brandintermsofthepeopleassociatedwithit.Thinkaboutit.Youcanbuyatank
topanywhere,butyoumightpreferastoreyouknowhaspoliteandhelpfulsales
associates.Youcanhaveyourbrakelightrepairedatanumberofplaces,butyou
areloyaltotheautoshopthathasareputationforbeinghonest.Servicemakes
abigdifference!Herearesomeimportantpersonnelqualitiesthatmarketers
maybeabletouseforpositioningpurposes:
• Competence—Theemployeesknowtheproductorbrandinsideandout.
• Training—Inadditiontoknowingtheproduct,theemployeesunderstand companypoliciesandarereadyandabletoassistcustomerswhenthey need help.
• Courtesy—Theemployeesarepoliteandfriendly.
• Reliability—Theemployeesaredependableandprovideconsistently good service.
• Responsiveness—Theemployeesrespondpromptlyandhelpfullyto customerneeds,concerns,andrequests.
• Communication—Theemployeescommunicatewithcustomersinaway thatenhancestheirpurchasingexperiences(e.g.,followinguponrequests,notifyingthemaboutnewproductsorsales,sendingthank-youcards,etc.).
Where would you rather shop—at a store with rude, uninterested employees or a store with workers who are competent, courteous, and reliable? It’s a no-brainer, isn’t it?
Fuse/Thinkstock
LAP-PM-019-SP © 2014, MBA Research and Curriculum Center® Getting Piece of Mind 12
ClickheretocheckoutMSN’sCustomerServiceHallofFamefor2012—http://mon-
ey.msn.com/investing/2012-customer-service-hall-of-fame-1. Have you noticed any
ofthesecompaniespromotingorpositioningthemselvesonthebasisofcustomer
service?
Positioning by users.Sometimes,marketerschoosetopositionaproductorbrand
byfocusingonthetypeofpersonwhobuysorusesit.Thisisoftenthecasewith
luxuryproductsorbrands,suchasLexus,TAGHeuer(awatchmaker),andChanel
(afashionbrand).Insteadofhighlightingproductattributes,marketersmayshow
thetypeofpersonwhousestheproductorbrand—assumingit’sthetypeofperson
targetcustomersaspiretobe(rich,adventurous,athletic,fashionable,modern,etc.).
Celebrity endorsements can be an effective way of positioning a product or
brandbyuser.Customersoftenwanttoemulatetheathletes,musicians,oractors
theyadmire,soseeingthesepeopleusecertainproductscanelevatethoseprod-
uctsincustomers’minds.ThinkJessicaBielforRevlon,DavidBeckhamforAdidas,
orKatyPerryforProactiv.ReadmoreaboutcelebrityendorsementsatAdWeek.com
(http://www.adweek.com/topic/celebrity-endorsements).
Marketers sometimes position a product or brand by focusing on its users. Do celebrity endorsements, such as Jessica Biel’s endorsement of Revlon, make you more likely to purchase a certain brand or product? Why?
Revlon.com
LAP-PM-019-SP © 2014, MBA Research and Curriculum Center® Getting Piece of Mind 13
Positioning by uses. Howaproductisusedcanalsoprovidemarketers
withapositioningstrategy.Thisapproachisespeciallyeffectivewithprod-
uctsthataredesignedtobeusedatspecifictimes,atspecificlocations,or
onspecificoccasions.Gatorade,forinstance,isaproductyou“need”when
you’reexercisingorplayingsports.AJeepisavehicleyou“need”foroff-
roading.Anewsuitortuxedoisimportantforpromorawedding.Canyou
thinkofanymoreexamplesofpositioningbyproductuse?
Positioning by product class.Attimes,marketersmaychoosetoposition
using“thebigpicture.”Thismeansthatratherthanfocusingonthespecific
productorthebrand,theypositionbyproducttypeorclass.Anexampleof
thisstrategymaybepromotingteaovercoffeeforcustomerswantingahot
drink.Teaandcoffeearetwoentirelydifferentproducts,buttheycertainly
haveoverlappingtargetmarkets.Anotherexampleofthistypeofstrategy
wouldbepositioningapoolagainstanamusementpark.Theyareboth
entertainmentoptionsfortargetcustomers—differentproductclasses,
butstillcompetitors.
Mix it up
EachofthefourP’sofmarketing—product,promotion,place,andprice—
can and should be used to support a product or brand’s positioning
strategy. Let’s explore this concept further: Rise
Abov
eThe
Stati
c.com
LAP-PM-019-SP © 2014, MBA Research and Curriculum Center® Getting Piece of Mind 14
Amazon.com often calls out the competition, such as Apple’s iPad, in advertisements for its kindle tablets.
Product.Nomatterwhatpositioningstrategymarketerschoose,theprod-
uctsimplymustdeliverthebenefitsthetargetmarketwants.Whetherthat
benefitistheconvenienceofanall-nightpharmacy,thestatusofdesigner
jeans,orthegoodnutritionofanorganicsaladmix,theproductitselfmust
matchupwithhowit’sbeenpositioned.Ifitdoesn’t,eitherthepositionor
the product needs to be altered.
Promotion. Positioningwillbesuccessfulonlyifmarketerscommunicate
themessagetotargetcustomerseffectively.Theproduct’spositionshould
becommunicatedthrougheverypromotionaloutletavailable—advertising,
salespromotion,publicity,personalselling,directmarketing,etc.Allpromo-
tionsshouldbespecificallytailoredtothetargetmarket.Keepinmindthat
aproduct’spositionisrelativetothecompetition.Therefore,it’ssometimes
helpfulforpromotionstoclearlystatethattheproductis“thelowestprice,”
“thebestquality,”“preferredbymoredentiststhanleadingcompetitors,”
etc.(Callingoutthecompetitionissometimescalled“offensivemarketing.”
ReadmoreaboutitinAmieMarse’sarticle“FiveShockingWaystoCallOut
YourCompetitors”—http://socialmediatoday.com/contentmoney/1496256/5-
shocking-ways-call-out-your-competitors).
Place.Ifaproducthasbeenpositionedwiththetargetmarketinmind,
itonlymakessenseformarketerstodistributetheproductinplacesthat
targetcustomersarelikelytoshop.Forinstance,marketerswouldn’tdis-
tribute$150Ray-BansunglassesthroughWalmartorTarget.Norwouldthey
distributecandybarsatahealth-foodstore.The“place”mustlineupwith
the position.
LAP-PM-019-SP © 2014, MBA Research and Curriculum Center® Getting Piece of Mind 15
Price. Justasaproductmustbedistributedwherethetargetmarketwillfindit,it
mustbepricedaccordingtowhatthetargetmarketwillpay.Ifmarketerspositiona
productas“themostaffordableself-propelledlawnmoweronthemarket,”itshouldbe
pricedlowerthanthecompetition.Ifmarketerspositionabrandas“thefinestjewelry
moneycanbuy,”thentheproducts’pricesshouldreflectthatposition.
It’s not forever
Oncemarketerschooseapositionforaproductorbrand,theyshouldstick
withit.Sometimes,however,itbecomesnecessarytorepositionaproduct
or brand because:
• Thecompetitiveenvironmenthaschanged.
• Thecompanyisintroducingtheproducttoaforeignmarket.
• Thecompanyhaschosenanewtargetmarket.
• Theproducthasenteredanewstageofitsproductlifecycle.
Repositioningcanbedifficult,butitispossible.Brandsthathaverepositioned
themselvessuccessfullyincludeOldSpice(froman“oldman’s”producttoafun,
youthfulone)andGeneralElectric(fromanelectricitycompanytoapioneerin
sustainableenergy).
Sure,productsandbrandscanberepositioned,buthowaboutentireworlds?Absolutely, accordingtoauthorandmarket-ingstrategistJackTrout.BeforeChristopherColumbuscamealong,manypeoplebelievedthattheworldwasflat.But,thankstoColumbusandagroupof15thCenturyscientists, thepubliccametoseethat theworldis,indeed,round!
iStock/Thinkstock
LAP-PM-019-SP © 2014, MBA Research and Curriculum Center® Getting Piece of Mind 16
Think of three or four prod-ucts or brands you’ve used within the past week. Can youdetermineeachone’sposition? What positioning strategiesdidthemarketersuse? Do you think the strat-egies have been successful?
1.Whatisadeterminantfactor,andhowdoesitapply to positioning?
2.Whataresomecommonpositioningstrategies?
3.HowcanthefourP’sofmarketingbeusedto assist with positioning?
4. When is it a good idea to reposition a product or brand?
Summary
Everypositioningstrategyshouldbebasedonadeterminantfactor.Someofthe
commonpositioningstrategiesmarketersuseincludepositioningbyproduct
attributes,positioningbypeople(service),positioningbyusers,positioning
byuses,andpositioningbyproductclass.EachofthefourP’sofmarketingcan
beusedtosupportaproductorbrand’spositioningstrategy.Incertaincircum-
stances,itisnecessarytorepositionaproductorbrand.
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