Positioning your product

Abstract

H ow should a new brand be positioned? Can a problem brand be revived by a repositioning strategy? Most marketing managers have addressed these and other positioning questions; however, posit ioning means different things to different people. To some, it means the segmentation decision. To others it is an question. To still others it means selecting which product features to emphasize. Few managers consider all of these alternatives. Further, the positioning decision is often made ad hoc, and is based upon flashes of insight, even though systematic, research-based approaches to the positioning decision are now available. An understanding of these approaches should lead to more sophisticated analysis in which positioning alternatives are more fully identified and evaluated. A product or organization has many associations which combine to form a total impression. The positioning decision of ten means selecting those associations which are to be built upon and emphasized and those associations which are to be removed or de-emphasized. The term posi t ion differs from the older term image in that it implies a frame of reference, the reference point usually being the competit ion. Thus, when the Bank of California positions itself as being small and friendly, it is explictly, or perhaps implicitly, positioning itself with respect to Bank of America. The positioning decision is often the crucial strategic decision for a company or brand because the position can be central to customers ' perception and choice, decisions. Further, since all elements of the marketing program can potentially affect the position, it is usually necessary to use a positioning strategy as a focus for the development of the marketing program. A clear positioning strategy can insure that the elements of the marketing program are consistent and supportive. What alternative positioning strategies are available? How can positioning strategies be identified and selected? Each of these questions will be addressed in turn.