A Brand For Each Brand Position Strategy Marketing Essay

The brand position or brand positioning is how the brand is perceived in the context of competitive alternatives. As brand consultants, when we develop brand positioning statement for clients, we include a target customer definition, brand essence, brand promise, brand archetype and brand personality, giving the intended brand position/positioning (as opposed to the actual brand position in the mind of the customer) greater depth.

Brand Positioning Basics

Positioning is something (perception) that happens in the minds of the target market.

It is the aggregate perception the market has of a particular company, product or service in relation to their perceptions of the competitors in the same category.

It will happen whether or not a company’s management is proactive, reactive or passive about the on-going process of evolving a position.

But a company can positively influence the perceptions through enlightened strategic actions.

In marketing, positioning has come to mean the process by which marketers try to create an image or identity in the minds of their target market for its product, brand, or organization. It is the ‘relative competitive comparison’ their product occupies in a given market as perceived by 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.

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.

The Process of Brand Positioning

Generally, the product positioning process involves:

Defining the market in which the product or brand will compete (who the relevant buyers are)

Identifying the attributes (also called dimensions) that define the product ‘space’

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

Position.

The process is similar for positioning your company’s services.

Services, however, don’t have the physical attributes of products – that is, we can’t feel them or touch them or show nice product pictures.

So you need to ask first your customers and then yourself, what value do clients get from my services? How are they better off from doing business with me? Also ask: is there a characteristic that makes my services different?

Write out the value customers derive and the attributes your services offer to create the first draft of your positioning.

Test it on people who don’t really know what you do or what you sell, watch their facial expressions and listen for their response.

When they want to know more because you’ve piqued their interest and started a conversation, you’ll know you’re on the right track.

1) Lifestyle

Louis Vuitton

Brand Value: up 2% to $19.78 billion

The most valuable luxury brand for the past five years, Louis Vuitton continued to position itself as timeless and authentic. Its focus on its heritage as a travel brand helped it to retain its core customer-the jet setter. The brand increased prices, invested in creativity and heightened the focus on quality rather than compromising its brand value it is a high class brand for the super rich lifestyle.

2) Price Leadership

L’Oreal’s Noisome brand face cream is sold in upscale beauty shops, whereas its Plenitude brand is available for one-sixth the price in discount stores-even though both are based on the same chemical formula this show the price leadership of L’Oreal as it is selling products of same formula at higher price at one place and lower at other place.

3) Attributes

Iphone

Iphone attributes are to provide the best user experience to its users.

This smartphone has a faster processor because it has the custom A5 chip, which is the one that users will find on the iPad 2. Consequently the iPhone 4S is faster in processing speeds, downloads, and games.

Another benefit it that the iPhone 4S is compatible with CDMA and GSM cellular bands therefore it can be used in more places around the world.

Apple features the new Assistant, which has turned the iPhone 4S into a voice recognizing personal assistant. It is very useful to the blind and for hands-free texting, among other tasks.

The iPhone 4S comes with a new camera with 8MP with easy editing features such as crop, rotate, enhance, and red-eye reduction. It also features a backside illumination sensor and a bigger aperture, which provides better low-light and The iPhone 4S comes with a new camera with 8MP with easy editing features such as crop, rotate, enhance, and red-eye reduction. It also features a backside illumination sensor and a bigger aperture, which provides better low-light and white balance correction. It also features face detection and image stabilization besides the capability to capture hd.

4) Product class

BMW Z4

It is sports convertible car for speed lovers who want something different from

Their car. While the brand says its buying audience is very different to its communications audience, it aims to target the 25-44 year old age bracket as part of its strategy to target a younger and broader market.

The premium car brand is hosting a virtual vs. reality racing initiative at BMW World today (5 September) offering fans the chance to race F1 driver David Coulthard.

5) COMPETITION

PEPSI

Pepsi positions itself on points of difference as well as points of parity. Pepsi’s POD is their forward thinking attitude. I don’t believe any of the other cola brands (including Coke) are very strong in that area. This falls into image differentiation. Pepsi has the image of being action oriented and I think that a large part of their target audience associate themselves with the brand because of that image. Pepsi also considers themselves the bold, refreshing, robust cola which Coke and other colas could also claim. These points of parity are product differentiations.

6) Occasion

Wrigley’s gum

Wrigley’s gum is an alternative at times when smoking is not permitted. Wrigley’s Nicogum would be positioned as Herbal cure and not a drug-based one. To create a distinct image in the mind of the target market Wrigley’s will have to educate consumers about the advantages of herbal treatment over a drug-based one. The benefits are, Herbs are provided in natural forms and are not addictive but acts asa powerful nutritional supplement. Herbs provide physical and mental well-being andare known to possess tremendous healing properties. Herbs are preferred source of health care for 80% of the world. It reduces the need of smoking for avid smokers.

7) User

Levi’s Dockers

Levi’s Dockers are targeted primarily to men in there 20s to 40s as people need variety of cloths to wear in the office and college at a reasonable rate which can be purchased frequently and new things add up in the wardrobes.

Dockers focused a lot on placing their product creating an authentic in store concept shop for the men’s department to create a friendly and accessible environment and make the trial as easy as possible. 

The communication strategy at the beginning of Dockers was based on their timelessness, sociability, high quality (wit the references to the Levi’s) and a classic, not high-fashioned way to wear. 

8) Quality

Toyota

The Toyota name has earned a reputation for quality and integrity, as well as a commitment to responsible management and environmental practices.

Ethical behavior extends beyond legal requirements. It means honesty, equity, social responsibility and integrity in everything we say or do.