Chapter

10
Crafting the
Brand
Positioning
Value proposition
 Competitive Frame
of Reference
• Competitive frame of reference
– Defines which other brands a brand competes
with and which should thus be the focus of
competitive analysis
– Identifying and analyzing competitors
Competitive Frame
of Reference
 Points-of-Difference
and Points-of-Parity
• Points-of-difference
(PODs)
– Attributes/benefits that
consumers strongly
associate with a brand,
positively evaluate,
and believe they could
not find to the same
extent with a
competitive brand
 Points-of-Difference
and Points-of-Parity
• POD criteria

Desirable

Deliverable

Differentiating
 Points-of-Difference
and Points-of-Parity
• Points-of-parity (POPs)
– Attribute/benefit associations that are not
necessarily unique to the brand but may in
fact be shared with other brands
 Points-of-Difference
and Points-of-Parity
• POP forms

Category

Correlational

Competitive
 Pop vs. pod
• Multiple Frames of
Reference

• Straddle Positioning
 Points-of-Difference
and Points-of-Parity
• Choosing specific
POPs and PODs
– Competitive
advantage
– Means of
differentiation
– Perceptual map
– Emotional
branding
 Points-of-Difference
and Points-of-Parity
• Brand mantras

Communicate

Simplify

Inspire
Establishing a Brand Positioning
• Communicating category membership

Announcing category benefits

Comparing to exemplars

Relying on product descriptor

Brand-positioning
bull’s-eye
 Communicating
POPs and PODs
• Negatively correlated attributes/benefits

 Low price vs. high quality

 Taste vs. low calories
 Powerful vs. safe
 Ubiquitous vs. exclusive
 Varied vs. simple
 MONITORING COMPETITION
• Variables in assessing potential
competitors
– Share of market
• The competitor’s share of the target
market
– Share of mind
• Name the first company that comes to
mind in this industry
– Share of heart
• Name the company from which you
would prefer to buy the product
 ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES
TO POSITIONING
• Brand narratives and storytelling
– Setting
• The time, place, and context
– Cast
• The brand as a character, including its role in the life of the
audience, its relationships and responsibilities, and its history
or creation myth
– Narrative arc
• The way the narrative logic unfolds over time, including
actions, desired experiences, defining events, and the
moment of epiphany
– Language
• The authenticating voice, metaphors, symbols, themes, and
leitmotifs
• Cultural branding
 Positioning/Branding
for A Small Business
• Find compelling product • Create buzz and a loyal
performance advantage brand community
• Focus on building one or • Employ a well-integrated
two strong brands based set of brand elements
on one or two key • Leverage as many
associations secondary associations as
• Encourage product trial in possible
any way possible • Creatively conduct low-cost
• Develop cohesive digital marketing research
strategy to make the brand
“bigger and better”