Brand Positioning

A concept so simple,people have difficulty understandinghow powerful it is!

WhatPositioning is owning a piece of consumers mind

Positioning is not what you do to a productIts what you do to the mind of the prospect

You position the product in the prospects mindIts incorrect to call it Product Positioning Ries & Trout

ExamplesColgateisProtection

LuxisGlamour

Ponds DFTisConfidence

AxeisSexual Attraction

GilletteisQuality

WhyThe assault on our mindThe media explosionThe product explosionThe advertising explosion

So little message gets through that you ignore the sender and concentrate on the receiver

HowThe easy way to get into a persons mind is to be firstXerox, Kodak, Polaroid, Sun TV, The Hindu, F&L

If you didnt get into the mind of your prospect first, then you have a positioning problemBetter to be first than be best

In the positioning era, you must, however, be first to get into the prospects mind

HowThe basic approach is not to create something new or different, but manipulate whats already in the mind

To find a unique position, you must ignore conventional logic

Conventional logic says you find concept inside productNot true; look inside prospects mind

You wont find an uncola idea inside 7-up; you find it inside cola drinkers head

You concentrateon the perceptions of the prospect, not the reality of the product- Al Ries & Jack Trout

Its difficult to change behaviour, but easy to work with it- Paco Underhill

What you needUnderstand the role of words and how they affect peopleTurtle vs. Lexus

Be careful of changeDisney

Need visionLong term / Not on technology or fad

What you needCourageTo slug it out when others watch and wait

ObjectivityYou need a backboard / a springboard

SimplicityNot complicated or convoluted

What you needSubtletyUnique position and appeal thats not narrow

Willingness to sacrificeThe case of NyquilRexona wooing male and female

PatienceGeographical roll out / Demographic / Chronological

Global outlookTaj Mahal tea

GuidelinesStart by looking not at the product but at the position in the market that you wish to occupy, in relation to competition

Think about how the brand will answer the main consumer questionsWhat will it do for me that others will not? Why should I believe you?

Try to keep it short and make every word count and be as specific as possibleVagueness opens the way to confused executions

GuidelinesKeep the positioning up-do-dateGive as careful consideration to change as you did to the original statement

Look for a Key Insight!An Accepted Consumer Belief

What is key insight?Key Insight is seeing below the surface / seeing inside the consumer

Insight expresses the totality of all that we know from seeing inside the consumer

An insight is a single aspect of this that we use to gain competitive advantage

By identifying a specific wayThat the brand can either solve a problem orCreate an opportunity for the consumer

Key InsightI wish to get married to a handsome prince

Key InsightFragrance of my current talc does not last long and I miss opportunities to enjoy life

Key InsightSoap leaves my skin feeling dry and tight

More on key insightIt will require two separate thoughts to be related to each other in a new and fresh way

Insight will generally be enduring

Often the process will lead to several insights

The one to use is the one that offers to be the source of greatest competitive advantage

More on key insightNo need for insight to change if you have identified the higher-order needs of consumers

Keep asking why to find the real need behind the obvious insight

Remember, the insight is always the basis for a brands positioning

How to find one?What are the ways in which the category / brand can improve someones life?

What are the conflicting needs that people face and that the brand can solve?

How important is it that the product delivers? Who will notice?

What is standard of excellence in the category?

With every answer you get, you need to probe deeper:Why is that?

The 3Cs of positioningBe Crystal clear

Be Consumer-basedBe relevant and credible to the consumerWrite in consumer language and from consumers view point

Be CompetitiveBe distinctiveFocus on building brand elements into powerful discriminatorBe persuasiveBe sustainable

And thenThe brand name!

The name is the first point of contact between the message and the mind

The brand name is a knife that cuts the mind to let the brand message inside Ries & Trout

GuidelinesIts not the goodness or badness of the name in an aesthetic sense that determines effectivenessIts the appropriateness of the same

Name begins the positioning process, tells the prospect what the products major benefit isFair & LovelyClose UpKrackHead & ShouldersVaseline Intensive Care Body Lotion

Checklist: Brand nameShould be simple

Should be acceptable in all key languages

Should be appropriate when geographically spread

Should be amenable for easy registration