Brand Positioning.Doc.Docx

Brand Positioning Introduction In marketing terms, there is no such thing as a product or service that exists by itself in space, independent of the consumer. For a product to exist, it must find a place in an individual consumer's perception of the world of products around him or her. And this perception is subjective, governed by the individual consumer's values, beliefs, needs, experience and environment. The cognitive map of the individual is not a photographic repre sentation of the physical world...Every perceiver is, as it were, to some degree a non-representational artist, painting a picture of the world that expresses his individual view of reality. This is the core thought behind brand positioning - the idea that each brand (if at all noticed) occupies a particular point or space in the individual consumer's mind, a point that is determined by that consumer's perception of the brand in question and in its relation to other brands. The spatial distance between the points in that consumer's mind reflects the subject's perception of similarity or dissimilarity between products and brands. The everyday phrase, 'poles apart', is a simple example of how consumers position products in their mind; for example, an electric shaver vs. a razor. In the section entitled 'Product and Brand Positioning' in his book, Marketing Management, Prof. Philip Kotler says: ―Once the core product concept is chosen, it defines the character of the product space in which the new product has to be positioned. An instant breakfast drink means that this product will compete against bacon and eggs, breakfast cereals, coffee and pastry, and other break fast alternatives...‖ Assume that the instant breakfast drink concept is selected. A product positioning map is shown in figure below, where an instant breakfast drink stands in relation to other breakfast products, using the two dimensions of cost and preparation time. An instant breakfast drink stands in a distinct part of the market, its nearest competitor is cold cereal; its most distant competitor is bacon and eggs. Perceptual map showing the position of an ‗instant breakfast‘ product in relation to other types of break fast. Similarly, he goes on to say, a brand positioning map can be drawn using the concept of perceptual distance to show the similarity or dissimilarity between several brands of instant breakfast alternatives as perceived by consumers Perceptual map showing the relative position of three instant breakfast brands. Positioning, therefore, starts with our understanding or 'mapping' of a prospect consumer's mental perceptions of products. Figure above is an artist's impression of a consumer mind. That mind is already cluttered with numerous brand names for various categories. It is as though the consumer has drawn his or her own mental map of his or her various wants and needs and has given different points on that map to different products and brands to satisfy those needs. If we carried the analogy of the consumer's mental map further, we can say that the sites or positions on that map are not for outright sale, not even for a 99-year lease! A brand can hope at best to occupy such a position as a tenant, for periods that will vary according to the quality and quantity of marketing efforts behind that brand. Other would-be renters are always putting forth tempting offers to the owner of the site. Brand position is the part of the brand identity and value proposition that is to be actively communicated to the target audience and that demonstrates an advantage over competing brands. The four salient characteristics of a brand position as reflected by the phrases ―part‖, ―target audience‖, ―actively communicated‖, and ―demonstrates advantage‖. Part Of The Identity When a brand position exists, the brand identity and value proposition can be developed fully, with texture and depth. They do not have to be concise statements of what is to be communicated, because the brand position takes on that role. For some brands, the brand identity and value proposition do combine into a compact statement that can serve (perhaps with minor adjustments) as the brand po sition. In most cases, however, the former are significantly broader than the latter. To illustrate, elements that are extremely important to the identity may not play a role in the active communication strategy. For McDonald's, cleanliness is certainly one of the important parts of the culture and identity. It would be unlikely to be a part of the brand po sition, however, because it would not differentiate McDonald's from its major competitors. Brand position can be changed without changing the identity or value proposition of which it is a subset. Saturn, for example, posi tioned itself during the first year as a world-class car. In subsequent years the position focused on a different subset of the brand identity - the customer relationship based on friendship and respect. The iden tity or value proposition did not change - just the focus of the pos ition, and thus the communications program. But how does one choose which elements of the identity to include in the brand position? Three places to look are at the core identity, at points of leverage within the identity structure, and at the value proposition. Look to the Core Identity The core identity by definition represents the central, timeless es sence of the brand. Thus the most unique and valuable aspects of the brand are often represented in the core identity. Further, there should be a cluster of brand elements surrounding each core identity com ponent that (in addition to giving it richness and texture) opens up multiple execution alternatives. Finally, the brand position often should include the core identity just so communication elements do not stray from the brand's essence. Identify Points of Leverage A brand position can be based on a point of leverage that is not nec essarily in the core identity. The Ronald McDonald character can, for example, provide a point of leverage for McDonald's. He is central to the focus on fun and kids, and he is also the basis for Ronald McDonald House, which provides an interesting message that en genders respect and visibility. Thus a possible brand position for McDonald's might well emphasize Ronald McDonald as ―The restaurant that Ronald McDonald, with his presence and programs, makes a fun place for kids and families. (Target-kids and their parents)‖ Sometimes a sub-brand, feature, or service can provide a point of leverage. For example, the visible air cushion in the early Nike Air line served to represent the advanced-technology aspect of the Nike identity. Sub brands-features, and services that play this role are termed silver bullets The Value Proposition A customer benefit that is part of the value proposition and a basis of a brand-customer relationship can be another prime candidate for a brand position. Nike, for example, provides a functional benefit of improved performance and a self-expressive benefit based on using a shoe endorsed by a celebrity athlete. An endorser such as Michael Jordan can provide the basis for a brand position as follows ―The shoe that Michael Jordan uses to provide the extra edge of performance. (Target--'-weekend athletes)‖ The Target Audience The brand position should also target a specific audience, which may be a subset of the brand's target segment. For example, a mountain bike company might define a target audience of serious, highly so phisticated, West Coast bikers, whereas the target segment might be a much larger group There can also be a primary and secondary target audience. Male drivers of sports sedans might be the primary target audience for Toyota Camry, but women may be an important secondary target audience. The position strategy should thus consider the secondary audience and, in particular, not antagonize it in any way. Active Communication To say that the brand position is to be actively communicated implies that there will be specific communication objectives focused on changing or strengthening the brand image or brand- customer re lationship. These objectives, if feasible, should be accompanied by measurement. For example, if the goal is to create or improve the "friend" relationship, an agree-disagree scale could be developed using items such as "Gateway is your friend" and "Gateway will be there for you." Such scales could be used both in testing communi cation programs and in tracking their impact. Brand image reflects current perceptions of a brand. Like brand iden tity, brand position is more aspirational, reflecting perceptions that the strategists want to have associated with the brand. In creating a brand position, a useful step is to compare the brand identity with the brand image on different image dimensions. Dimension Brand Identity (Goal) Brand Image (Current Reality) Product: Premium beer Premium beer User Young (in spirit or body) Middle-aged. Personality Fun, humorous Fun, humorous Emotional benefit Social group acceptance (none) Functional benefit Superior flavor Superior flavor Comparison of the identity with the image will usually result in one of three very different communication tasks being reflected in a brand position statement. Any brand image can be ● Augmented (if a dimension needs to be added or strengthened) e.g., add social group acceptance ● Reinforced and exploited (if the image associations are consistent with the identity and are strong) e.g., reinforce fun and humor ous personality ● Diffused, softened or deleted (if the image is inconsistent with the brand identity) e.g., soften middle-aged-user imagery. Augmenting an Image A brand image might be too restrictive-that is, it may be geared to one age group or application, while the identity points the way to adding other segments or applications.

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