The document discusses market positioning, defining it as the process of creating a distinct image of a company's product in the minds of customers. It outlines the importance of positioning for gaining a competitive advantage and specifies various types of positioning strategies such as attribute, benefit, and user positioning. Additionally, it highlights common errors in positioning, including under positioning, over positioning, confused positioning, and doubtful positioning.

1. TRINITY INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Sector – 9, Dwarka Institutional Area, New Delhi-75
Affiliated Institution of G.G.S.IP.U, Delhi
Disclaimer: All content of this Presentation are for classroom Teaching & learning only, not to be used for any other purpose.
MAHTAB ALAM
Assistant Professor
Management Department
Market Positioning

2. TRINITY INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Sector – 9, Dwarka Institutional Area, New Delhi-75
Market Positioning
Meaning & Definition
Positioning means the activity of making position or image in the
minds of customers. Positioning is the process of portraying a
picture of company’s product and its customer relation in the
minds of customers.
“Positioning is the act of
designing the company’s
offering and image to
occupy a distinct place in
the target’s mind.”
--Philip Kotler--

3. TRINITY INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Sector – 9, Dwarka Institutional Area, New Delhi-75
Why Positioning?
(1)To create a distinct place of product& service or corporate in
the minds of customers.
(2) To provide a competitive edge to a product or an attempt to
convey attractiveness of the product to the target market.
(3) To give the target market reason of buying our
product/service and then formulation of all strategies
according to the customer perception.

4. TRINITY INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Sector – 9, Dwarka Institutional Area, New Delhi-75
What is Image?
Image is the picture of an organization and its products
& services perceived by target group, Images are of
following types:
Types of Images
• Current Image: The way that a company is being seen
by customer.
• Mirror Image: The way that a company think it is being
seen by customers
• Wish Image: The way that a company would like to be
seen by customers.

5. TRINITY INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Sector – 9, Dwarka Institutional Area, New Delhi-75
There are some common errors of positioning which is
committed by firms due to in effective marketing
programmes. These errors are as follows:
(1) Under Positioning: This errors occurs when marketers take little steps
for promotion of product due to which buyers are very less aware about
the brand and its product’s performance & popularity. This error is done
by those company’s either do not have capacity to promote their product
or do not have marketing caliber of performing such roles.
e.g: “ASUS Laptop”
Errors in Positioning

6. TRINITY INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Sector – 9, Dwarka Institutional Area, New Delhi-75
(2) Over Positioning: It refers to the error when firm
position itself for some specific group but due to over
positioning that particular groups believe that it is not for
their class, it is for some higher class customer group.
e.g: “Aquaguard introduced Aquasure, People start
believing due to over positioning that it is made for upper
class, where as the product was priced only at Rs 1600/-“
(3) Confused Positioning: Some time buyers may have
confused image of the brand.
This may occur as a result of frequent changes in the
positioning statement.

7. TRINITY INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Sector – 9, Dwarka Institutional Area, New Delhi-75
(4) Doubtful Positioning:This
error occurs when doubt
arises in the minds of buyer
regarding the company’s
claims of benefits through
the product. Customer have
doubt whether firm can fulfill
their promises or not.
e.g: “Hair Gain Oil”
& “Weight Loss medicines”
Under
Positioning
Over
Positioning
Confused
Positioning
Doubtful
Positioning
Errors in
Positioning

8. TRINITY INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Sector – 9, Dwarka Institutional Area, New Delhi-75
Positioning Strategies
(1)Attribute Positioning: A company position itself on the basis of an
attribute which creates their separate identity such as size, no. of years of
existence etc.
e.g: “Raymonds Since 1925”
(2)Benefit Positioning: Corporate may position itself as a leader in a
certain benefit which they provides to their customers.
e.g: “ Maruti---Service Station”
(3)Use or Application Positioning: Positioning can be done on the basis of
use or application of the product. Corporate position their product as best
for some use like café coffee day position itself for discussion & meeting
point.
e.g: “Café Coffe Day—a lot can happen over a coffee”

9. TRINITY INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Sector – 9, Dwarka Institutional Area, New Delhi-75
(4)User Positioning: When firm position itself and its products as
best suited for a particular user class is called user positioning
e.g: “Johnson & Johnson----for babies”
(5)Competitor Positioning: In this category firm claims to be better
in some product or service than a well-known competitor.
e.g: “Thums up against Pepsi”
(6)Value Positioning: This strategy focuses on company’s
positioning as offering the best product at lower price or we can
say best valued product.
e.g: “McDonald Burger @ Rs 25 only/”

10. TRINITY INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Sector – 9, Dwarka Institutional Area, New Delhi-75
Positioning
Strategies
Attribute
Positioning
Benefit
Positioning
Use or
Applicatio
n
Positioning
User
Positioning
Competito
r
Positioning
Value
Positioning

11. TRINITY INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES
Sector – 9, Dwarka Institutional Area, New Delhi-75