Brand Positioning Strategies
A product can be positioned based on 2 main platforms: The Consumer and The Competitor. When the positioning is on the basis of CONSUMER, the campaigns and messages are always targeted to the consumer himself (the user of the product)
Peter England always campaigns their product concentrating on the consumer, the user of its product.
Louis Philip also concentrates on this kind of campaigns.
The other kind of positioning is on basis of COMPETITION. These campaigns are targeted towards competing with other players in the market.
Dettol television commercials always concentrate on advertisements, which show that this product would give you more protection, then the others.
A number of positioning strategies might be employed in developing a promotional program. The 7 such strategies are discussed below:
POSITIONING BY PRODUCT ATTRIBUTES AND BENEFITS
Associating a product with an attribute, a product feature or a consumer feature. Sometimes a product can be positioned in terms of two or more attributes simultaneously. The price/ quality attribute dimension is commonly used for positioning the products.
Consider the example of Ariel that offers a specific benefit of cleaning even the dirtiest of clothes because of the micro cleaning system in the product.
Colgate offers benefits of preventing cavity and fresh breath.
Promise, Balsara’s toothpaste, could break Colgate’s stronghold by being the first to claim that it contained clove, which differentiated it from the leader.
Nirma offered the benefit of low price over Hindustan Lever’s Surf to become a success.
Maruti Suzuki offered benefits of maximum fuel efficiency and safety over its competitors. This strategy helped it to get 60% of the Indian automobile market.
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POSITIONING BY PRICE/ QUALITY
Marketers often use price/ quality characteristics to position their brands. One way they do it is with ads that reflect the image of a high-quality brand where cost, while not irrelevant, is considered secondary to the quality benefits derived from using the brand. Premium brands positioned at the high end of the market use this approach to positioning.
Another way to use price/ quality characteristics for positioning is to focus on the quality or value offered by the brand at a very competitive price. Although price is an important consideration, the product quality must be comparable to, or even better than, competing brands for the positioning strategy to be effective.
Bisleri – “Bada Bisleri, same price” ad campaign.
POSITIONING BY USE OR APPLICATION
Another way is to communicate a specific image or position for a brand is to associate it with a specific use or application.
Surf Excel is positioned as stain remover ‘ Surf Excel hena!’
Also, Clinic All Clear – “Dare to wear Black”.
POSITIONING BY PRODUCT CLASS
Often the competition for a particular product comes from outside the product class. For example, airlines know that while they compete with other airlines, trains and buses are also viable alternatives. Manufacturers of music CDs must compete with the cassettes industry. The product is positioned against others that, while not exactly the same, provide the same class of benefits.
POSITIONING BY PRODUCT USER
Positioning a product by associating it with a particular user or group of users is yet another approach.
Motography Motorola Mobile Ad.n this ad the persona of the user of the product is been positioned.
POSITIONING BY COMPETITOR
Competitors may be as important to positioning strategy as a firm’s own product or services. In today’s market, an effective positioning strategy for a product or brand may focus on specific competitors. This approach is similar to positioning by product class, although in this case the competition is within the same product category.
Onida was positioned against the giants in the television industry through this strategy, ONIDA colour TV was launched with the message that all others were clones and only Onida was the leader. “neighbour’s Envy, Owners Pride”.
POSITIONING BY CULTURAL SYMBOLS
An additional positioning strategy where in the cultural symbols are used to differentiate the brands. Examples would be Humara Bajaj, Tata Tea, Ronald McDonald. Each of these symbols has successfully differentiated the product it represents from competitors.
STP stands for:
S - Segmentation
T - Targeting
P - Positioning
The first step in the process of product promotion is Segmentation
The division of a broad market into small segments comprising of individuals who think on the same lines and show inclination towards similar products and brands is called Market Segmentation.
Market Segmentation refers to the process of creation of small groups (segments) within a large market to bring together consumers who have similar requirements, needs and interests.
The individuals in a particular segment respond to similar market fluctuations and require identical products.
In simpler words market segmentation can also be called as Grouping.
Kids form one segment; males can be part of a similar segment while females form another segment. Students belong to a particular segment whereas professionals and office goers can be kept in one segment.
Targeting
Once the marketer creates different segments within the market, he then devises various marketing strategies and promotional schemes according to the tastes of the individuals of particular segment. This process is called targeting. Once market segments are created, organization then targets them.
Targeting is the second stage and is done once the markets have been segmented.
Organizations with the help of various marketing plans and schemes target their products amongst the various segments.
Nokia offers handsets for almost all the segments. They understand their target audience well and each of their handsets fulfils the needs and expectations of the target market.
Tata Motors launched Tata Nano especially for the lower income group.
Positioning
Positioning is the last stage in the Segmentation Targeting Positioning Cycle.
Once the organization decides on its target market, it strives hard to create an image of its product in the minds of the consumers. The marketers create a first impression of the product in the minds of consumers through positioning.
Positioning helps organizations to create a perception of the products in the minds of target audience.
Ray Ban and Police Sunglasses cater to the premium segment while Vintage or Fastrack sunglasses target the middle income group. Ray Ban sunglasses have no takers amongst the lower income group.
Garnier offers wide range of merchandise for both men and women.
Each of their brands has been targeted well amongst the specific market segments. (Men, women, teenagers as well as older generation)
Men - Sunscreen lotions, Deodorant
Women - Daily skin care products, hair care products
Teenagers - Hair colour products, Garnier Light (Fairness cream)
Older Generation - Cream to fight signs of ageing, wrinkles
A female would never purchase a sunscreen lotion meant for men and vice a versa. That’s brand positioning.
By: Mrs Veena Kumar (Marketing Professor NDIM)
A product can be positioned based on 2 main platforms: The Consumer and The Competitor. When the positioning is on the basis of CONSUMER, the campaigns and messages are always targeted to the consumer himself (the user of the product)
Peter England always campaigns their product concentrating on the consumer, the user of its product.
Louis Philip also concentrates on this kind of campaigns.
The other kind of positioning is on basis of COMPETITION. These campaigns are targeted towards competing with other players in the market.
Dettol television commercials always concentrate on advertisements, which show that this product would give you more protection, then the others.
A number of positioning strategies might be employed in developing a promotional program. The 7 such strategies are discussed below:
POSITIONING BY PRODUCT ATTRIBUTES AND BENEFITS
Associating a product with an attribute, a product feature or a consumer feature. Sometimes a product can be positioned in terms of two or more attributes simultaneously. The price/ quality attribute dimension is commonly used for positioning the products.
Consider the example of Ariel that offers a specific benefit of cleaning even the dirtiest of clothes because of the micro cleaning system in the product.
Colgate offers benefits of preventing cavity and fresh breath.
Promise, Balsara’s toothpaste, could break Colgate’s stronghold by being the first to claim that it contained clove, which differentiated it from the leader.
Nirma offered the benefit of low price over Hindustan Lever’s Surf to become a success.
Maruti Suzuki offered benefits of maximum fuel efficiency and safety over its competitors. This strategy helped it to get 60% of the Indian automobile market.
[/list]
POSITIONING BY PRICE/ QUALITY
Marketers often use price/ quality characteristics to position their brands. One way they do it is with ads that reflect the image of a high-quality brand where cost, while not irrelevant, is considered secondary to the quality benefits derived from using the brand. Premium brands positioned at the high end of the market use this approach to positioning.
Another way to use price/ quality characteristics for positioning is to focus on the quality or value offered by the brand at a very competitive price. Although price is an important consideration, the product quality must be comparable to, or even better than, competing brands for the positioning strategy to be effective.
Bisleri – “Bada Bisleri, same price” ad campaign.
POSITIONING BY USE OR APPLICATION
Another way is to communicate a specific image or position for a brand is to associate it with a specific use or application.
Surf Excel is positioned as stain remover ‘ Surf Excel hena!’
Also, Clinic All Clear – “Dare to wear Black”.
POSITIONING BY PRODUCT CLASS
Often the competition for a particular product comes from outside the product class. For example, airlines know that while they compete with other airlines, trains and buses are also viable alternatives. Manufacturers of music CDs must compete with the cassettes industry. The product is positioned against others that, while not exactly the same, provide the same class of benefits.
POSITIONING BY PRODUCT USER
Positioning a product by associating it with a particular user or group of users is yet another approach.
Motography Motorola Mobile Ad.n this ad the persona of the user of the product is been positioned.
POSITIONING BY COMPETITOR
Competitors may be as important to positioning strategy as a firm’s own product or services. In today’s market, an effective positioning strategy for a product or brand may focus on specific competitors. This approach is similar to positioning by product class, although in this case the competition is within the same product category.
Onida was positioned against the giants in the television industry through this strategy, ONIDA colour TV was launched with the message that all others were clones and only Onida was the leader. “neighbour’s Envy, Owners Pride”.
POSITIONING BY CULTURAL SYMBOLS
An additional positioning strategy where in the cultural symbols are used to differentiate the brands. Examples would be Humara Bajaj, Tata Tea, Ronald McDonald. Each of these symbols has successfully differentiated the product it represents from competitors.
STP stands for:
S - Segmentation
T - Targeting
P - Positioning
The first step in the process of product promotion is Segmentation
The division of a broad market into small segments comprising of individuals who think on the same lines and show inclination towards similar products and brands is called Market Segmentation.
Market Segmentation refers to the process of creation of small groups (segments) within a large market to bring together consumers who have similar requirements, needs and interests.
The individuals in a particular segment respond to similar market fluctuations and require identical products.
In simpler words market segmentation can also be called as Grouping.
Kids form one segment; males can be part of a similar segment while females form another segment. Students belong to a particular segment whereas professionals and office goers can be kept in one segment.
Targeting
Once the marketer creates different segments within the market, he then devises various marketing strategies and promotional schemes according to the tastes of the individuals of particular segment. This process is called targeting. Once market segments are created, organization then targets them.
Targeting is the second stage and is done once the markets have been segmented.
Organizations with the help of various marketing plans and schemes target their products amongst the various segments.
Nokia offers handsets for almost all the segments. They understand their target audience well and each of their handsets fulfils the needs and expectations of the target market.
Tata Motors launched Tata Nano especially for the lower income group.
Positioning
Positioning is the last stage in the Segmentation Targeting Positioning Cycle.
Once the organization decides on its target market, it strives hard to create an image of its product in the minds of the consumers. The marketers create a first impression of the product in the minds of consumers through positioning.
Positioning helps organizations to create a perception of the products in the minds of target audience.
Ray Ban and Police Sunglasses cater to the premium segment while Vintage or Fastrack sunglasses target the middle income group. Ray Ban sunglasses have no takers amongst the lower income group.
Garnier offers wide range of merchandise for both men and women.
Each of their brands has been targeted well amongst the specific market segments. (Men, women, teenagers as well as older generation)
Men - Sunscreen lotions, Deodorant
Women - Daily skin care products, hair care products
Teenagers - Hair colour products, Garnier Light (Fairness cream)
Older Generation - Cream to fight signs of ageing, wrinkles
A female would never purchase a sunscreen lotion meant for men and vice a versa. That’s brand positioning.
By: Mrs Veena Kumar (Marketing Professor NDIM)