Article By: Madhuri Pahuja
MEANING
Kotler and Keller define brand positioning as an “act of designing the company’s offering and image to occupy a distinct place in the mind of the target market.”
Positioning is the process by which a company creates a distinct image and identity for its products, services or brands in the customers’ minds. In other words, it is the art of selecting out of a number of unique selling propositions, through which sales can be maximized. The image and the unique identity, known as position, is intangible and exists only in the minds of the consumers. It represents how marketers want consumers to perceive products and brands.
Brand positioning is the sum of all activities which positions the brand in the minds of the customers relative to its competition. Positioning is not about creating something new or different, but it is basically to manipulate the mindset and to retain the existing connections.
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Brand positioning helps in analyzing how a brand is different from its competitors and where, or how, it sits in the minds of the customers. Positioning is more important to the ultimate success of a product that are its actual characteristics, although products which are poorly made will not succeed on the basis of image only.
The result of effective positioning is a unique perception of the product in customers’ mindset relative to the offerings by the competitors. Effective brand positioning can be referred to as the extent to which a brand is perceived as favourable.
POSITIONING PROCESS
- Defining the market in which the brand competes, who the target audience is and who the relevant buyers are and who the competitor is.
- Identifying the key attributes of the product and researching about the consumers’ perception regarding each of the relevant attributes of the product.
- Researching how consumers perceive the offerings of the competitors on the relevant attributes.
- Determining the preferred combination of attributes of the target market.
- Developing a distinctive, differentiating and value-based positioning concept which communicates the applicable attributes as benefits.
- Creating a positioning statement focused on the values and benefits that the product offers and using it to communicate with the target audiences.
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ADVANTAGES OF BRAND POSITIONING
- Competitive Advantage
Positioning helps you to separate from your competitors. It answers a critical question for the customer—why they should pick your company. Example: Samsung positions their product by keeping in mind its competitors like HTC, Sony, MI, LG etc. The positioning by competitor strategy may be influenced by the market, the features of other products in the market, their pricing, distribution as well as any other factors which are the strength of the competitors. If Samsung is fighting against a competitor on the same factors of positioning, it should better be prepared for a long and hard fight. However, if it wants to get to the top, it needs to attack the weaknesses first and thereby permanently take away some of the market-share of the competitors.
- Control
Positioning gives control over one’s own brand image because it defines the space you can own. Marketers can use multiple dimensions to carve out a brand’s position in the marketplace.
- Attributes
Blackberry mobile phones position their brand on the basis of the attributes of their product. Their products have unique and special features like Blackberry Messenger (BBM) which makes their product different from others. This strategy relies on providing a superior product to the customers to have a better positioning.
- Solidifies Brand
Positioning helps in promoting consistency of the brand, which in turn boosts the confidence with which the brand interacts with the world.
- Occasion
COCK brand crackers have done its brand positioning on the basis of occasion only. This kind of positioning stresses when the product will be used by your target audience. Crackers are mostly used on some special occasions like Diwali, New Year and marriages etc. Thus their products are positioned as occasion products in the minds of consumers.
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- Quality
Companies position their brands on the basis of quality as well. BMW cars have built its brand image in the minds of consumers through the quality of their products. Building a powerful perception of quality proves to be successful in creating a powerful brand. The best way to increase the perception of quality is to narrow the company’s focus. BMW have narrowed product’s focus since a specialist is perceived to know more or be of higher quality than a generalist.
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