Realising Positioning
Positioning is the process by which an organisation anticipates the thoughts and feelings of potential clients. It actually works as a hook connecting all relevant subjects.
Positioning is the process by which an organisation anticipates the thoughts and feelings of potential clients. It actually works as a hook connecting all relevant subjects.
What is positioning?
Positioning is an organization's deliberate attempt to realise a certain relative position of the organisation, brand or product perceived by clients when compared to comparable competitors (From: Nima Marketing Lexicon).
Effective positioning:
Effective positioning begins by making choices
A positioning process is intensive, and is not carried out every three years. To make sure the process runs smoothly, it is important that first of all general choices have been made with respect to goals and target audience.
Formulas to determine positioning
Various formulas can be used for determining an organisation's positioning. MVCM prefers to use two formulas with have proved to be successful.
Insight formula
I promise you that (promise),
I know this is important to you because (insight),
you can trust me because (reason to believe).
The starting point of this formula is a consumer insight. An insight expresses the need or frustration of a consumer group. Motivational Market Research is necessary to arrive at a consumer insight. The “promise” is the promise the brand makes, which can be functional (hard) or emotional (soft). The “reason to believe” turns the promise into a credible one.
Benefit formula
To (the target audience),
brand x is (category need),
that offers (brand benefits).
This formula, developed by Rossiter and Percy, incorporates the target group, the reason why brand x exists, and its distinction. Distinction often requires proof. Let me give you an example. In the US, Volvo used the following positioning statement: “to upper-income car buyers, Volvo is a prestige automobile that offers the benefit of safety”. There is no point in claiming safety without proving it. Target groups are not naïve. But time and again Volvo proves that safety is the Volvo benefit.
Positioning workshop
At the Positioning Workshop, options are formulated and the option with the best chance of success is selected. MVCM prefers to use the format of a workshop – as it does for generating a vision and a mission – because it enables an organisation’s key staff to define positioning. This results in maximum commitment, which is necessary to eventually achieve successful implementation.