DEFINITION 2

“Brand positioning is the act of designing a brand’s offer and image

so that it occupies a distinct and valued place in the target
consumer’s mind.”
POSITIONING 1
• “Positioning is not what you do to a product. Positioning is what
you do to the mind of a prospect”. Positioning – The Battle for Your
Mind, Al Ries & Jack Trout
• A brand’s position is the distinct location on a consumer’s mental
Lesson 6
map in relation to competition
Product & Brand Management

• Defines the brand’s “consumer appeal” strategy – Why should I

Jishnu Changkakoti buy?
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Characteristics of good positioning 3 Key positioning principles from Trout & Ries

• Distinctive in its meaning & execution

• Has to strike the right balance between what the brand is, and what it
• We are bombarded with
could be thousands of messages every day
• One foot in the present and one in the future • The only defence a person has
• Somewhat aspirational so that the brand has room to grow against an over-communicated
society is an over-simplified
• Should result in a successful, customer-focused value proposition mind
• Domino’s Pizza - a delicious hot pizza, delivered promptly to your
door • Therefore the best message to
adopt is the oversimplified
• Volvo - the safest, most durable wagon your family can ride
message

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 Key positioning principles from Trout & Ries
• The easiest way to get into the mind is to be the first
• Who was the first persons to conquer Mt. Everest? Who was the first man on
the moon?
• Who were/was the second?
• But it is not enough to be the first. The victory goes to the one who is the first to
get into the customer’s mind
• PC = IBM.
• But IBM did not invent the PC
• America
• So what if you are not the first in the category
• Try to be the first in a segment and dominate it instead of trying to win the
entire category
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material is - the
for teaching purposes genuineuse only.Russian
No part of the vodka
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and classroom content may be shared or published in public forums.

Key positioning principles from Trout & Ries Key positioning principles from Trout & Ries
• Positioning of a leader brand
• To cope with product explosion, we have learned to rank • Keep on reinforcing the original concept - “The Real Thing”
products in our mind • Cover all bets:
• To improve its position on the ladder • adopt any new product development that shows promise to prevent
• a competitor has to either knock off the brand above competition from gaining a foothold
it(almost impossible) • GM spent $50m to buy the Wankel engine, & then killed it
• or somehow relate its brand to the higher brand’s • React rapidly to competition
position
• Evolve to a broader company name to allow success in other categories
• Burger King - “have it your way”
• International Business Machines to IBM
• 7 Up -the UnCola
• Imperial Tobacco Company… Indian Tobacco Company…. I.T.C. …..
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 Key positioning principles from Trout & Ries Key positioning principles from Trout & Ries
• Positioning of a follower brand
• “Cherchez le créneau” - look for the hole in the market and then fill it
• Repositioning competitors
• There may be a hole in the market, but there also needs to be the same open space in the consumer’s
mind • Tylenol repositioning Aspirin as the brand that causes stomach irritation
• The various “créneaus”
• Repositioning Pringle’s by Wise
1. Size:
• Beetle “Think Small”
• Hummer - BIG
2. High price:
• “Go ahead, spend the extra dollars. After all, it is Christmas, isn’t it?”
• “Why you should invest in a Piaget, the world’s most expensive watch.”
3. Low price: “Sabse sasta. Sabse acchha” - Big Bazar
4. Gender: Marlboro vs. Virginia Slims
5. Age
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6. Time of day:
This Nyquil
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teaching nightand
time colduse
classroom remedy
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Brand Positioning Framework Brand positioning statement 12

• Target audience - behavioural, demographic, psychographic, geographic • A positioning statement for a brand defines the brand’s “consumer appeal”
• Competitive set strategy – Why should I buy?
• Points of difference(POD) - attributes strongly associated with a brand, generally • 4 elements
defined in terms of consumer benefits - functional or emotional
1. To whom are you talking
• Desirability, deliverability & differentiation
• concise, but clearly defined
• Points of parity(POP) - attributes shared with other brands
• category, competitive and correlational • attitudinal, behavioural and demographic
• unless a brand can achieve POP on certain important parameters, the POD may not 2. What category are you competing in
even matter 3. What is the unique proposition your brand is offering the consumer
• Compelling reason to buy
4. Why should the consumer believe that what you are offering is credible

• Proof or support
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 Brand positioning statement 13 Saffola Brand Positioning Statement

To ………………………………………………………….
X is the brand of …………………………………..
that ………………………………………………………. To all urban males aged 45 and above suffering from or prone
to heart problems, Saffola is the brand of cooking oil that
because ……………………………………………….. reduces cholesterol, unlike regular cooking oils. This is
because it has the highest PUFA content and is recommended
by doctors

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Amazon Brand Positioning Statement Examples of good positioning 16

• Amazon’s positioning statement in 2001 when it was a book seller • Apple - Think Different
For World Wide Web users who enjoy books, Amazon.com is a retail • Mastercard
bookseller that provides instant access to over 1.1 million books.
Unlike traditional booksellers, amazon.com provides a combination • Hallmark cards
of extraordinary convenience, low prices and comprehensive
selection.

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 18

Thank you 17

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 21 22

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7 Up Uncola
TVC 23 24

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 25 26

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27 28

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 29

© 2020 Jishnu Changkakoti. All rights reserved.

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