The document discusses brand positioning and provides guidance on how to effectively position a brand. It covers: 1) Defining the target market and analyzing market structure based on product type, benefits, usage, and brand names. 2) Seeking a differential advantage by determining a brand's central or differentiated position and its key benefits relative to competitors. 3) Using an expectancy model to select the most important benefits a brand can uniquely deliver to influence attitudes. 4) Focusing marketing communications on attributes, characteristics, or emotions depending on if purchase motivation is negative or positive. 5) Positioning options like reinforcing uniqueness on key benefits or emphasizing benefits delivered better than rivals.

1. Brand Positioning
By : Prof. Deepa R., LLIM
Reference : Strategic advertising management by Larry Percy and Richard Elliot

2. Sub-topics
• Understanding brand positioning (topic 4)
• Understanding target audience in terms of market structure (topic 3)
• Use of partitioning method to structure the market
• Tools and methods of positioning
• Using advertising to communicate right positioning
Prof. Deepa R. LLIM, 2014
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3. Positioning
• David Jobber – the choice of ‘target market’, where we want to
compete and differential advantage, how we wish to compete
• Peter Doyle – positioning strategy is the choice of target market
segments which determine where the business competes and the
choice of differential advantage, which dictates how it competes.
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4. Positioning requires
Identification and selection of right target audience
Choice of differential advantage
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5. Identifying and Defining the Market
• How consumers see the market therefore how and why consumers behave as
they do
• Cross –elasticity between products
• Perceived similarity – how similar consumers perceive the brands in a particular
category to be
• Perceived similarity  foundation of category need  positioning in marketing
communication
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6. Consumer Mapping of Soft Drinks
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Pepsi
Coke
ThumpsUp
7Up
Sprite
Appy Fizz
Mirinda
Fanta

7. Hierarchical Market Definition / Partitioning
Product
Category
Sub-
category
Sub-
category
division
Brand Brand Brand
Sub-
category
division
Sub-
category
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8. Bases for Partitions
Based on consumers views
1. Type of product
2. End benefit
3. Usage situation
4. Brand name
Questions with respect to these
characteristics
1. What kind of a product is a soft
drink?
2. Why do you drink a soft drink?
3. When do you drink a soft drink ?
4. What are the differences among
various brands of soft drinks?
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9. Bases for Hierarchical Partitioning of Soft
Drinks in India
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Product Characteristics
• Aerated / non aerated
• Cola based / un-cola
End-benefits
• Refreshment
• Quench thirst
• Mixing with liquor
Usage situation
• Accompany lunch/
dinner
• Celebration / party/
entertainment
• During discussion /
meeting

10. • Deodorant market
• Soaps
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11. Summary of market structure
• Identifying the market where a brand will compete  category
where the brand competes  category need
• Consumers buy products/ brands to satisfy their needs
• Brands exist to satisfy those needs
• A consumer driven definition of market is essential for the
development of effective advertising strategy
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12. Positioning requires
Identification and selection of right target audience
Choice of differential advantage
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13. Seeking Differential Advantage
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14. Prof. Deepa R. LLIM, 2014
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What is it?
What does it
offer?
Brand
Awareness
Brand
Attitude

15. Prof. Deepa R. LLIM, 2014
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What is it?
Category
need
Brand’s
market
position
Centrally
Differentially

16. Prof. Deepa R. LLIM, 2014
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What does it
offer
Relative to
competition
User
Product
Brand
Benefits

17. User Oriented Position
• User is the focus, user characteristics is the message
• Brand is marketed to a specific segment satisfying their particular need
• E.g. Raymond
• Used when underlying purchase motivation is social appeal – social
rewards e.g. Vaseline Moisturiser
• With this positioning approach, a brand reminds consumers of how they
would feel in using / displaying their brand
• E.g. luxury cars, fashion brands
• E.g. Johnson and Johnson’s baby wipes
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18. Prof. Deepa R. LLIM, 2014
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19. Product Benefit Oriented Positioning
• Product is the hero of the positioning and it is defined by the specific
benefits related to the product and not the user
• Product characteristics are the message
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20. Prof. Deepa R. LLIM, 2014
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21. Prof. Deepa R. LLIM, 2014
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What does it
offer
Relative to
competition
User
Product
Brand
Benefits

22. Selecting the Appropriate Benefit
• Benefits reflect the underlying motivation (why a consumer is buying the
brand)
• Considerations in selecting the right benefit for communication
1. Benefit which is important to the target audience influencing purchase
2. Benefit that can be delivered better than other brands
3. The brand can deliver it (consumers believe / persuaded to believe the
brand can deliver)
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23. The Expectancy –Value Model of Attitude
• A person's attitude towards an object is the sum of all the things they
believe about it, weighted by how important each of those things are o
them
• E.g. Person’s attitude towards Cadbury Dairy Milk will be the sum of its
perceived characteristics and how important they are to what motivates
that person to buy a chocolate bar
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24. Expectancy Value Model of Attitude for
Chocolate
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Importance Belief Importance X Belief
Chocolate 3 3 9
Wafer 1 0 0
Caramel 1 0 0
Smoothness 2 3 6
Gifting / Sharing 2 3 6
Inexpensive 3 3 9
Indulgence 2 3 6
Total 36

25. Comparative Expectancy Value Model of
Attitude for two Chocolate Bars
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Importance Belief
Importance X
Belief
Belief
Importance X
Belief
Cadbury
Dairy Milk
Cadbury Dairy
Milk
Five Star Five Star
Chocolate 3 3 9 2 6
Wafer 1 0 0 0 0
Caramel 1 0 0 3 3
Smoothness 2 3 6 2 4
Gifting / Sharing 2 3 6 1 2
Inexpensive 3 3 9 3 9
Indulgence 2 3 6 2 4
Total 36 28

26. Prof. Deepa R. LLIM, 2014
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Importance Belief
Cadbury
Dairy Milk
Five Star Silk Galaxy Amul Snickers
Chocolate 3 3 2 3 3 2 3
Wafer 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Caramel 2 0 3 0 0 0 3
Smoothness 2 3 2 3 3 1 1
Gifting /
Sharing
2 3 1 2 1 1 1
Inexpensive 3 3 3 1 2 2 3
Indulgence 2 3 2 3 2 1 2

27. Positioning options
• Reinforcing or building a uniqueness for your brand on important benefits
• Capitalizing upon competitive weakness on important benefits
• Emphasizing important benefits your brand delivers better than others
• Increasing the importance of benefits your brand delivers better than
others (if not already seen as essential)
• Decreasing the importance of benefits your brand does not deliver better
than others
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28. Benefit Focus
• How to focus on or emphasize the benefit in marketing communication
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Attribute
• An objective component of a product
(anti-bacterial etc.)
Characteristic
• A subjective claim about a product (easy
to use, tastes great)
Emotion
• A feeling associated with the product
(excitement, Relief)
Motivation
associated
with
purchase

29. Benefit Focus options
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• Attribute only e.g. Disprine dissolves in seconds
• Subjective characteristics without support e.g. White Tone powder, 5Star
• Attribute supports the subjective characteristics e.g. Dove ¼ moisturiser
• Negative emotions resolved by subjective characteristics e.g. Tide Naturals
Negative
Motivation
• Subjective characteristics leads to emotions e.g. Cadbury silk
• Pure emotions e.g. Cadbury Dairy Milk
Positive
Motivation

30. Effective Positioning
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31. 1. Define and Select target market
• Market partitioning to analyse market structure
1. Type of the product
2. End benefits
3. Usage situation
4. Brand name
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32. 2. Seeking Differential Advantage
1. Make initial positioning decisions
• What is it? - With regard to the product category – Central versus
differentiated
• What does it offer ?- With regard to other brands
• User - marketing to a specific segment / social approval is primary purchase
motivation
• Product orientation – all other cases
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33. 2. Select appropriate benefit (use of Expectancy model of attitude)
• Benefit are important to the target audience
• The brand can deliver
• Can be delivered better than other brands
3. Use correct benefit focus (Attribute/ Characteristic/ Emotion)
• When purchase motivation is negative  focus on the benefits (attribute of the
product / subjective claim / characteristic )
• When the purchase motivation is positive  emphasise is on emotional
consequences
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34. Positioning options
• Reinforcing or building a uniqueness for your brand on important benefits
• Capitalizing upon competitive weakness on important benefits
• Emphasizing important benefits your brand delivers better than others
• Increasing the importance of benefits your brand delivers better than
others (if not already seen as essential)
• Decreasing the importance of benefits your brand does not deliver better
than others
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35. • Device the positioning for advertising of
Burger King /
KitKat Dark Chocolate /
Henko Matic
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