POSITIONING: ROLE IN ADVERTISING MANAGEMENT

BRAND POSITIONING: A 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.

“Positioning is the act of designing the company’s offerings and image to occupy a distinctive
place in the target market’s mind. The essence of brand positioning is achievement of valued
distinction/differentiation in a consumers mind.”

Positioning: Positioning is something (perception) that happens in the minds of the target
market. It will happen whether or not a company's management is proactive, reactive or passive
about the on-going process of evolving a position. "A product's position is how potential
buyers see the product", and is expressed relative to the position of competitors. Positioning is
a concept in marketing which was first popularized by Al Ries and Jack Trout in their bestseller
book “Positioning - a battle for your mind". They iterate that any brand is valued by the
perception it carries in the prospect or customer's mind.

Positioning is what the customer believes about your product’s value, features, and benefits; it is
a comparison to the other available alternatives offered by the competition. These beliefs tend to
based on customer experiences and evidence, rather than awareness created by advertising or
promotion. Marketers manage product positioning by focusing their marketing activities on a
positioning strategy. Pricing, promotion, channels of distribution, and advertising all are geared
to maximize the chosen positioning strategy. Positioning is important because you are competing
with all the noise out there competing for your potential consumers attention. If you can stand
out with a unique benefit, you have a chance at getting their attention. It is important to
understand your product from the customers point of view relative to the competition.

Positioning Concepts: Positioning Concepts More generally, there are three types of
positioning concepts:

Functional positions Solve problems Provide benefits to customers Get favorable

perception by investors (stock profile) and lenders

Symbolic positions Self-image enhancement Ego identification Belongingness and social

meaningfulness Affective fulfillment

Experiential positions Provide sensory stimulation Provide cognitive stimulation

Positioning concepts: In marketing, positioning is the technique in which marketers try to

create an image or identity for a product, brand, or company. Positioning is something that is
done in the minds of the target market.
Re-positioning involves changing the identity of a product, relative to the identity of competing
products, in the collective minds of the target market. Cadbury, Godrej, Shoppers Stop De-
positioning involves attempting to change the identity of competing products, relative to the
identity of your own product, in the collective minds of the target market. Sprite, Bingo, Bajaj
Pulsar, Fair & Lovely.

Product Positioning Process:

Generally, the product positioning process involves:

1) Defining the market in which the product or brand will compete

2) Identifying the attributes that define the product 'space'

3) Collecting information from a sample of customers about their perceptions of each product
on the relevant attributes

4) Determine each product's share of mind.

5) Determine each product's current location in the product space

6) Determine the target market's preferred combination of attributes

7) Examine the fit between:

a. The position of your product b. The position of the ideal vector 8) Position.

The Power of a Brand Name: A brand's name is perhaps the most important factor
affecting perceptions of it. These days, however, it is necessary to have a memorable name that
conjures up images that help to position the product. Ries and Trout favor descriptive names
rather than coined ones like Kodak or Xerox. Names like: Colgate, Johnson & Johnson, Dettol,
Bisleri, Cadbury, Vaseline are synonymous to the product categories, and have carved a niche
for themselves in the market.

A good position is: What makes you unique? This is considered a benefit by your target
market. Both of these conditions are necessary for a good positioning.

USP – Unique Selling Proposition: Each advertisement must make a proposition to the
consumer. Not just words, not just product puffery, not just show-window advertising. Each
advertisement must say to each reader: "Buy this product, and you will get this specific benefit."
The proposition must be one that the competition either cannot, or does not, offer. It must be
unique—either a uniqueness of the brand or a claim not otherwise made in that particular field of
advertising. The proposition must be so strong that it can move the mass millions, i.e., pull over
new customers to your product. Dominos, Fair & Lovely, Olay, 5Spice.

Brand Identity, Image and Positioning:

BRAND IMAGE: How the brand is now perceived

BRAND IDENTITY: How strategists want the brand to be perceived. The part of the brand
identity and value proposition to be actively communicated to a target audience

BRAND POSITION: Brand as received or Brand in relation to decoded competitive brands