Brand Positioning

A concept so simple, people have difficulty understanding how powerful it is!

What… Positioning is owning a piece of consumer’s mind Positioning is not what you do to a product It’s what you do to the mind of the prospect You position the product in the prospect’s mind ‘ It’s incorrect to call it Product Positioning’ – Ries & Trout

Positioning is owning a piece of consumer’s mind

Positioning is not what you do to a product

It’s what you do to the mind of the prospect

You position the product in the prospect’s mind

‘ It’s incorrect to call it Product Positioning’ – Ries & Trout

Examples Colgate is Protection Lux is Glamour Pond’s DFT is Confidence Axe is Sexual Attraction Gillette is Quality

Colgate is Protection

Lux is Glamour

Pond’s DFT is Confidence

Axe is Sexual Attraction

Gillette is Quality

Why… The assault on our mind… The media explosion The product explosion The advertising explosion So little message gets through that you ignore the sender and concentrate on the receiver

The assault on our mind…

The media explosion

The product explosion

The advertising explosion

So little message gets through that you ignore the sender and concentrate on the receiver

How… The easy way to get into a person’s mind is to be first Xerox , Kodak , Polaroid, Sun TV, The Hindu, F&L If you didn’t get into the mind of your prospect first, then you have a positioning problem Better to be first than be best In the positioning era, you must, however, be first to get into the prospect’s mind

The easy way to get into a person’s mind is to be first

Xerox , Kodak , Polaroid, Sun TV, The Hindu, F&L

If you didn’t get into the mind of your prospect first, then you have a positioning problem

Better to be first than be best

In the positioning era, you must, however, be first to get into the prospect’s mind

How… The basic approach is not to create something new or different, but manipulate what’s already in the mind To find a unique position, you must ignore conventional logic Conventional logic says you find concept inside product Not true; look inside prospect’s mind You won’t find an uncola idea inside 7-up; you find it inside cola drinker’s head

The basic approach is not to create something new or different, but manipulate what’s already in the mind

To find a unique position, you must ignore conventional logic

Conventional logic says you find concept inside product

Not true; look inside prospect’s mind

You won’t find an uncola idea inside 7-up; you find it inside cola drinker’s head

‘ You concentrate on the perceptions of the prospect, not the reality of the product’ - Al Ries & Jack Trout

‘ It’s difficult to change behaviour, but easy to work with it’ - Paco Underhill

What you need… Understand the role of words and how they affect people Turtle vs. Lexus Be careful of change Disney Need vision Long term / Not on technology or fad

Understand the role of words and how they affect people

Turtle vs. Lexus

Be careful of change

Disney

Need vision

Long term / Not on technology or fad

What you need… Courage To slug it out when others watch and wait Objectivity You need a backboard / a springboard Simplicity Not complicated or convoluted

Courage

To slug it out when others watch and wait

Objectivity

You need a backboard / a springboard

Simplicity

Not complicated or convoluted

What you need… Subtlety Unique position and appeal that’s not narrow Willingness to sacrifice The case of Nyquil Rexona wooing male and female Patience Geographical roll out / Demographic / Chronological Global outlook Taj Mahal tea

Subtlety

Unique position and appeal that’s not narrow

Willingness to sacrifice

The case of Nyquil

Rexona wooing male and female

Patience

Geographical roll out / Demographic / Chronological

Global outlook

Taj Mahal tea

Guidelines Start by looking not at the product but at the position in the market that you wish to occupy, in relation to competition Think about how the brand will answer the main consumer questions What will it do for me that others will not? Why should I believe you? Try to keep it short and make every word count and be as specific as possible Vagueness opens the way to confused executions

Start by looking not at the product but at the position in the market that you wish to occupy, in relation to competition

Think about how the brand will answer the main consumer questions

What will it do for me that others will not?

Why should I believe you?

Try to keep it short and make every word count and be as specific as possible

Vagueness opens the way to confused executions

Guidelines Keep the positioning up-do-date Give as careful consideration to change as you did to the original statement Look for a Key Insight ! An ‘Accepted Consumer Belief’

Keep the positioning up-do-date

Give as careful consideration to change as you did to the original statement

Look for a Key Insight !

An ‘Accepted Consumer Belief’

What is key insight? Key Insight is ‘seeing below the surface’ / ‘seeing inside the consumer’ Insight expresses the totality of all that we know from seeing inside the consumer An insight is a single aspect of this that we use to gain competitive advantage By identifying a specific way… That the brand can either solve a problem or Create an opportunity for the consumer

Key Insight is ‘seeing below the surface’ / ‘seeing inside the consumer’

Insight expresses the totality of all that we know from seeing inside the consumer

An insight is a single aspect of this that we use to gain competitive advantage

By identifying a specific way…

That the brand can either solve a problem or

Create an opportunity for the consumer

Key Insight ‘ I wish to get married to a handsome prince’

Key Insight

‘ I wish to get married to a handsome prince’

Key Insight ‘ Fragrance of my current talc does not last long and I miss opportunities to enjoy life’

Key Insight

‘ Fragrance of my current talc does not last long and I miss opportunities to enjoy life’

Key Insight ‘ Soap leaves my skin feeling dry and tight’

Key Insight

‘ Soap leaves my skin feeling dry and tight’

More on key insight… It will require two separate thoughts to be related to each other in a new and fresh way Insight will generally be enduring Often the process will lead to several insights The one to use is the one that offers to be the source of greatest competitive advantage

It will require two separate thoughts to be related to each other in a new and fresh way

Insight will generally be enduring

Often the process will lead to several insights

The one to use is the one that offers to be the source of greatest competitive advantage

More on key insight… No need for insight to change if you have identified the higher-order needs of consumers Keep asking ‘why’ to find the real need behind the obvious insight Remember, the insight is always the basis for a brand’s positioning

No need for insight to change if you have identified the higher-order needs of consumers

Keep asking ‘why’ to find the real need behind the obvious insight

Remember, the insight is always the basis for a brand’s positioning

How to find one? What are the ways in which the category / brand can improve someone’s life? What are the conflicting needs that people face and that the brand can solve? How important is it that the product delivers? Who will notice? What is standard of excellence in the category? With every answer you get, you need to probe deeper: ‘ Why is that?’

What are the ways in which the category / brand can improve someone’s life?

What are the conflicting needs that people face and that the brand can solve?

How important is it that the product delivers? Who will notice?

What is standard of excellence in the category?

With every answer you get, you need to probe deeper:

‘ Why is that?’

The 3C’s of positioning Be C rystal clear Be C onsumer-based Be relevant and credible to the consumer Write in consumer language and from consumer’s view point Be C ompetitive Be distinctive Focus on building brand elements into powerful discriminator Be persuasive Be sustainable

Be C rystal clear

Be C onsumer-based

Be relevant and credible to the consumer

Write in consumer language and from consumer’s view point

Be C ompetitive

Be distinctive

Focus on building brand elements into powerful discriminator

Be persuasive

Be sustainable

And then… The brand name! The name is the first point of contact between the message and the mind ‘ The brand name is a knife that cuts the mind to let the brand message inside’ – Ries & Trout

The brand name!

The name is the first point of contact between the message and the mind

‘ The brand name is a knife that cuts the mind to let the brand message inside’

– Ries & Trout

Guidelines It’s not the goodness or badness of the name in an aesthetic sense that determines effectiveness It’s the appropriateness of the same Name begins the positioning process, tells the prospect what the product’s major benefit is Fair & Lovely Close Up Krack Head & Shoulders Vaseline Intensive Care Body Lotion

It’s not the goodness or badness of the name in an aesthetic sense that determines effectiveness

It’s the appropriateness of the same

Name begins the positioning process, tells the prospect what the product’s major benefit is

Fair & Lovely

Close Up

Krack

Head & Shoulders

Vaseline Intensive Care Body Lotion

Checklist: Brand name Should be simple Should be acceptable in all key languages Should be appropriate when geographically spread Should be amenable for easy registration

Should be simple

Should be acceptable in all key languages

Should be appropriate when geographically spread

Should be amenable for easy registration