W3 Reading Marketing Positioning and Products This week we will discuss positioning and branding. When we talk about positioning, we are referring to how the customer thinks about the product. · The customer wants to know the key feature that the product has separates it from all the rest. · In other words, positioning shows the brand's meaning in the consumers mind and compares it to the meaning the consumer applies to the competitor's brands. The positionstatement is an assertion that represents how the product should be perceived in the minds of the consumer. · Compare it to the thesis statement of an essay; the thesis statement is a short sentence usually 25 to 35 words or less that sums up the entire essay. · The positioning statement should in fact stay around 40 words and include who you are, what you do, and the value you bring to the consumer. A positioning statement for a day care might be: . We are a preschool providing high quality care and instruction for toddlers aged two to five in the Central Pennsylvania area. Our teachers are pre-K certified and create an individualized curriculum for each child to develop academic and social skills. In the article "Positioning Your Product," Aaker and Shansby suggest six approaches to positioning: by attribute, price-quality, use or applications, product-user, the product-class, and the competitor (2001, p.57). · Attribute is probably the most often-used approach; it shows the consumer the feature of the product or service that provides a benefit to the consumer. · In the example above, the value (or benefit) the business brings to the consumer is the individualized curriculum for each child.  To create the position for company, is important to understand your target market as discussed in week two. · What is your target market looking for? · Is it something new, something cheaper, something more efficient? There are times when product needs to be repositioned so that the view your target market has of the product is changed. There are several reasons why a product might need to be repositioned.  · These include changes in the marketplace, changes the product, changes in the target market, changes in competition, changes in the location in the product life cycle, and simply time for a change. · For example, Kentucky Fried Chicken had to respond to the changes in consumers' healthier eating habits. . To do this they stop using the name Kentucky Fried Chicken and now go by KFC. . They now offer healthier options to their fried chicken and mashed potatoes and this is apparent in their marketing and advertising. · Cadillac is another brand that needed to be repositioned. . Cadillac cars used to be associated with retirement and grandparents. . Cadillac started a new positioning towards the younger crowd by streamlining their cars and adding the Escalade SUV. Repositioning is looking to embed a new message in the mind of the customer using one of the six approaches: by attribute, price-qualit.

1. W3 Reading Marketing
Positioning and Products
This week we will discuss positioning and branding. When we
talk about positioning, we are referring to how the customer
thinks about the product.
· The customer wants to know the key feature that the product
has separates it from all the rest.
· In other words, positioning shows the brand's meaning in the
consumers mind and compares it to the meaning the consumer
applies to the competitor's brands.
The positionstatement is an assertion that represents how the
product should be perceived in the minds of the consumer.
· Compare it to the thesis statement of an essay; the thesis
statement is a short sentence usually 25 to 35 words or less that
sums up the entire essay.
· The positioning statement should in fact stay around 40 words
and include who you are, what you do, and the value you bring
to the consumer. A positioning statement for a day care might
be:
. We are a preschool providing high quality care and instruction
for toddlers aged two to five in the Central Pennsylvania area.
Our teachers are pre-K certified and create an
individualized curriculum for each child to develop academic
and social skills.
In the article "Positioning Your Product," Aaker and Shansby
suggest six approaches to positioning: by attribute, price-
quality, use or applications, product-user, the product-class,
and the competitor (2001, p.57).
· Attribute is probably the most often-used approach; it shows
the consumer the feature of the product or service that provides
a benefit to the consumer.
· In the example above, the value (or benefit) the business
brings to the consumer is the individualized curriculum for each
child.

2. To create the position for company, is important to understand
your target market as discussed in week two.
· What is your target market looking for?
· Is it something new, something cheaper, something more
efficient?
There are times when product needs to be repositioned so that
the view your target market has of the product is changed.
There are several reasons why a product might need to be
repositioned.
· These include changes in the marketplace, changes the
product, changes in the target market, changes in competition,
changes in the location in the product life cycle, and simply
time for a change.
· For example, Kentucky Fried Chicken had to respond to the
changes in consumers' healthier eating habits.
. To do this they stop using the name Kentucky Fried Chicken
and now go by KFC.
. They now offer healthier options to their fried chicken and
mashed potatoes and this is apparent in their marketing and
advertising.
· Cadillac is another brand that needed to be repositioned.
. Cadillac cars used to be associated with retirement and
grandparents.
. Cadillac started a new positioning towards the younger crowd
by streamlining their cars and adding the Escalade SUV.
Repositioning is looking to embed a new message in the mind of
the customer using one of the six approaches: by attribute,
price-quality, use or applications, product-user, the product-
class, and the competitor (2001, p.57).
Knowing how to position your product also requires an
understanding of the product life cycle.
There are fourstages to the product life cycle: Introduction,
Growth, Maturity, and Decline.
1. In the Introduction stage, the organization is developing a
product for the market and building product awareness.
. Promotion is the focus of this stage and yet, here where most

3. products fail.
· In the Growth stage, the manufacturer will see sales start to
increase.
. At this point, competitors are entering the market and the
organization will need to spend advertising dollars to keep the
brand in the mind of the consumer.
· The maturity stage is when sales will begin to stabilize
because the competition has increased so it is important to
position (or reposition the product carefully).
· The Declinestage is last--this is when sales start to drop often
due to innovation.
. When the product is withdrawn from the market and retired,
the cycle ends.
. How much time is spent in each stage depends on the product;
for example, Doublemint gum and Barbie dolls have been in
the maturity stage for decades.
. Can you think of others?
References
American Marketing Association. (2013). Definition of brand
equity. Retrieved from
http://www.marketingpower.com/_layouts/dictionary.aspx?dLett
er=B
Branding
The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as
a "name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them
intended to identify the goods and services of one seller
or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other
sellers" ("Definition of Brand," 2013, para. 116)
The brand of a company is its essence, spirit, heart, and core of
the business. It tells the consumer that the product or service
will fulfill all expectations and promises.
· It is an integral part of the business and has to work to gain
the trust of the buyers--and it does that through consistently
meeting its promises.
· Think of an extremely close friend... when his or her

4. name comes up in conversation, what is your first reaction?
. Jot down on a piece of paper the first three words that come to
mind about that person.
. How did that person become a friend?
. Through consistently earning your trust?
. If the person broke a confidence or promise, would you
still choose the same words to describe him or her before?
. Think of the words that you wrote down as part of the person's
brand.
Brandequity is the reputation of the company; in other words,
the additional money people will spend on a brand over its
competition.
· According to the AMA, Brand equity is a phrase used in the
marketing industry to try to describe the value of having a well-
known brand name, based on the idea that the owner of a well-
known brand name can generate more money from products with
that brand name than from products with a less well known
name, as consumers believe that a product with a well-known
name is better than products with less well known names
("Definition of Brand Equity," 2013, para. 125).
For example, are you willing to pay more for Campbell's soup
than the store brand? Why?
· Because of the reputation of the company that the can of
Tomato soup that you open today will taste the same as the one
you opened last week.
· Companies rely on their brand equity especially when
releasing a new product.
· You might try the new Campbell's Squash soup because you
are banking on the reputation of the company.
However, brand equity can be a problem when the brand
becomes used as a noun for every item in that product category.
· Do you ask for a tissue or a Kleenex?
· Do you make a copy or a Xerox?
· Do you meet a friend for a Coke or a soda or soft drink?
These companies are still extremely successful, but their goal
was to have their product stand above the rest and not be

5. synonymous with the rest.
Brand Awareness is whether your brand pops into the
consumer's mind when thinking about a product category.
· Using the examples above, what do you think of when you
hear "soft drinks" or see a red can with white script?
· Or maybe you are reading with the TV on in the
background and you hear the four notes of Intel.
· You know that a commercial is for a computer using the Intel
brand.
The brand image represents the thoughts and feelings that
consumers have when thinking about the brand.
· For example, you might equate Campbell's tomato soup and
grilled cheese sandwiches with comfort food after playing in the
snow.
· Or Coca-Cola with the refreshing feeling of having a cold
drink on a hot afternoon.
. Coca-Cola has been extremely successful with using the
brand image.
· Can you assign personality or physical attributes to a product
or service?
. Think back to that friend from earlier--the same personality
traits and physical attributes that were evident in your friend
could be applied to a product!
. For example, the Subaru crossover vehicle rugged can be
described as rugged and the new Sony Ultrabooks are exciting.
References
American Marketing Association. (2013). Definition of brand.
Retrieved
from http://www.marketingpower.com/_layouts/dictionary.aspx?
dLetter=B
W3 Reading
Marketing

6. Positioning an
d Products
This week we will discuss positioning and branding. When we
talk about positioning, we are
referring to
how the customer thinks about the product
.
·
The customer wants to know the key
feature that the product has separates it from all the rest.
·
In other words, positioning shows
the brand's meaning in the consumers mind and compares it
to the meaning the consumer applies
to the competitor's brands.
The
position
statement
is an assertion that represents how the product should be
perceived in
the
mi

7. nds of the consumer.
·
Compare it to the thesis statement of an essay; the thesis
statement is a
short sentence usually
25 to 35 words or less that sums up the entire essay.
·
The positioning
statement should in fact stay around 40 words and include who
you ar
e, what
you do, and the
value you bring to the consumer. A positioning statement for a
day care might
be:
o
We are a preschool providing high quality care and instruction
for toddlers aged two to
five in
the Central Pennsylvania area. Our teachers are pre
-
K
certified and create an
individualized

8. curriculum for each child to develop academic and social skills.
In the article "Positioning Your Product," Aaker and Shansby
suggest
six approaches to
positioning
: by
attribute, price
-
quality, use or applications, p
roduct
-
user, the product
-
class, and
the competitor (2001,
p.57).
·
Attribute
is probably the most often
-
used approach; it shows the
consumer the feature of the
product or service that provides a benefit to the consumer.
·
In the
example above, the value (or be

9. nefit) the business brings to the consumer is the
individualized
curriculum for each child.
To
create the position for company
, is important to understand your target market as discussed in
week
two.
·
What is your target market looking for?
·
Is it something
new, something cheaper,
something more efficient?
There are times when product needs to be repositioned so that
the view your target market has of
the
product is changed.
There are several reasons why a product might need to be
repositioned
.

10. ·
These include changes in the marketplace, changes the product,
changes in the target
market,
changes in competition, changes in the location in the product
life cycle, and simply
time for a
change.
W3 Reading Marketing
Positioning and Products
This week we will discuss positioning and branding. When we
talk about positioning, we are referring to
how the customer thinks about the product.
has separates it from all the rest.
consumers mind and compares it
to the meaning the consumer applies to the competitor's brands.
The position statement is an assertion that represents how the
product should be perceived in
the minds of the consumer.
statement is a short sentence usually
25 to 35 words or less that sums up the entire essay.
words and include who you are, what
you do, and the value you bring to the consumer. A positioning
statement for a day care might
be:
o We are a preschool providing high quality care and instruction
for toddlers aged two to
five in the Central Pennsylvania area. Our teachers are pre-K

11. certified and create an
individualized curriculum for each child to develop academic
and social skills.
In the article "Positioning Your Product," Aaker and Shansby
suggest six approaches to positioning: by
attribute, price-quality, use or applications, product-user, the
product-class, and the competitor (2001,
p.57).
n-used approach; it shows
the consumer the feature of the
product or service that provides a benefit to the consumer.
brings to the consumer is the
individualized curriculum for each child.
To create the position for company, is important to understand
your target market as discussed in week
two.
efficient?
There are times when product needs to be repositioned so that
the view your target market has of the
product is changed.
There are several reasons why a product might need to be
repositioned.
product, changes in the target
market, changes in competition, changes in the location in the
product life cycle, and simply
time for a change.
W3 Assignment "Positioning and Branding"
· Review the readings and lectures for this week.
Create the Positioning and Branding portion of the Marketing
Communications Plan using the business and information
presented in the case study.

12. · In 400-600 words, answer the following: Determine branding
for the restaurant. Does the restaurant need a new brand and/or
name? Explain. Design a logo. (This may be scanned into a pdf
document)
· In 400-600 words, create the positioning statement for the
restaurant.
· Using feedback, update and make changes to the previous
section of the plan.
· Adhere to the Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association, (6th ed., 2nd printing) when writing
and submitting assignments and papers.
The requirements below must be met for your paper to be
accepted and graded:
· Use font size 12 and 1” margins.
· Include cover page and reference page.
· At least 80% of your paper must be original content/writing.
· No more than 20% of your content/information may come
from references.
· Use at least three references from outside the course material,
one reference must be from EBSCOhost. Text book, lectures,
and other materials in the course may be used, but are not
counted toward the three reference requirement.
· Cite all reference material (data, dates, graphs, quotes,
paraphrased words, values, etc.) in the paper and list on a
reference page in APA style.
References must come from sources such as, scholarly journals
found in EBSCOhost, CNN, online newspapers such as, The
Wall Street Journal, government websites, etc. Sources such as,
Wikis, Yahoo Answers, eHow, blogs, etc. are not acceptable for
academic writing.
W3 Assignment "Positioning and Branding"
·

13. Review the readings and lectures for this week.
Create the Positioning and Branding portion of the Marketing
Communications Plan using the business
and information presented in the case study.
·
In 400
-
600 words, answer the following: Determine branding for the
restaurant. Does
the restaurant need a new
brand and/or name? Explain. Design a logo. (This may be
scanned into a pdf document)
·
In 400
-
600 words, create the positioning statement for the restaurant.
·
Using feedback, update and make changes to the previous
section of the plan.
·
Adhere to the Publicati
on Manual of the American Psychological Association, (6th ed.,
2nd printing) when writing and submitting assignments and
papers.

14. The requirements below must be met for your paper to be
accepted and graded:
·
Use font size 12 and 1” margins.
·
Include cover p
age and reference page.
·
At least 80% of your paper must be original content/writing.
·
No more than 20% of your content/information may come from
references.
·
Use at least three references from outside the course material,
one reference must be
from EBSCOhost
. Text book, lectures, and other materials in the course may be
used,
but are not counted toward the three reference requirement.
·
Cite all reference material (data, dates, graphs, quotes,
paraphrased words, values, etc.)

15. in the paper and list on a referenc
e page in APA style.
References must come from sources such as, scholarly journals
found in EBSCOhost, CNN, online
newspapers such as, The Wall Street Journal, government
websites, etc. Sources such as, Wikis, Yahoo
Answers, eHow, blogs, etc. are not accep
table for academic writing.
W3 Assignment "Positioning and Branding"
for this week.
Create the Positioning and Branding portion of the Marketing
Communications Plan using the business
and information presented in the case study.
-600 words, answer the following: Determine branding
for the restaurant. Does
the restaurant need a new brand and/or name? Explain. Design a
logo. (This may be
scanned into a pdf document)
-600 words, create the positioning statement for the
restaurant.
section of the plan.
Psychological Association, (6th ed.,
2nd printing) when writing and submitting assignments and
papers.
The requirements below must be met for your paper to be
accepted and graded:
e 12 and 1” margins.

16. from references.
e material,
one reference must be
from EBSCOhost. Text book, lectures, and other materials in
the course may be used,
but are not counted toward the three reference requirement.
paraphrased words, values, etc.)
in the paper and list on a reference page in APA style.
References must come from sources such as, scholarly journals
found in EBSCOhost, CNN, online
newspapers such as, The Wall Street Journal, government
websites, etc. Sources such as, Wikis, Yahoo
Answers, eHow, blogs, etc. are not acceptable for academic
writing.