Positioning Guides 5 & 6

Positioning Guide #5:  If consumers are familiar with a brand, they have probably positioned it in their minds according to what’s important to them.

If end-users are familiar with a brand, they have probably already “positioned” it in their minds according to what’s important to them.  Ask almost any man if Secret deodorant is a brand that they would use, and the response will be, “No, it’s for women.”  Most men are familiar with the brand, and they have positioned it according to what’s important to them … it’s not for me.

Qualitative marketing researchers sometimes have a respondent use projection to understand how they have positioned a brand in their mind.  Rather than ask respondents what they think of a given brand, the researcher asks respondents to describe the buyer/user of that brand.  In cases where the brand is well positioned in the respondents’ minds, they are able to describe that buyer/user in great deal including appearance, occupation, personality, and lifestyle.

Positioning Guide #6:  The marketing activity of positioning is an attempt to influence the natural consumer process of positioning brands in their mind.

The process of positioning brands in one’s mind is a natural process.  We marketers tap into this natural process.  We attempt to influence the process.  We determine what motivates our target customers to purchase in our product category, and then we attempt to stake our ownership of this motivating benefit.  Through all the elements of the marketing mix, we attempt to convince target end-users that our brand this motivating benefit.  Do this consistently over a long period of time, and eventually target end-users will position your brand in their minds as the solution to their wants/needs.