CHAPTER 6

crafting the brand positioning

Marketing Management
Course Instructor : Ms Maria Baig
Business Studies Department, BUKC
1
Crafting the Brand Positioning

Positioning: the act of designing the company’s offering and image to occupy a distinctive place
in the mind of the target market.

Value Proposition: A value proposition is a statement that answers the ‘why’ someone should do
business with you. It should convince a potential customer why your service or product will be of
more value to them than similar offerings from your competition.
A good value proposition can give you an advantage over your competitors and is often what
your prospects use to evaluate you. And for many consumers, your value proposition is the first
thing they encounter when exploring your brand. So, having a clear, concise value proposition is
more important than ever.
Crafting the Brand Positioning

Competitive Frame of Reference: A brand’s frame of reference is the context in which

consumers view it. The first thing consumers will try to figure out is the category the brand
belongs to. In many instances, brand-category associations are straightforward:
 Pepsi belongs to the carbonated soft drink category.
 Lululemon is a brand of yoga wear.
• Choosing the Competitive Frame of Reference:
1. Identifying competitors
2. Analyzing Competitors
Crafting the Brand Positioning
Points-of-Difference (POD)
PODs are attributes or benefits consumers strongly associate with a brand, positively evaluate
and believe that they could not find to the same extent with a competitive brand.
Points-of-Parity (POP)
POPs are associations that are not necessarily unique to the brand but may in fact be shared with
other brands.
These types of associations come in two basic forms –
Category points-of-parity
Competitive points-of-parity
Crafting the Brand Positioning

Three criteria determine whether a brand association ca truly function as a point of difference:

1. Desirable to Consumer
2. Deliverable by the company
3. Differentiating from competitors
Crafting the Brand Positioning

Category points-of-parity These are associations consumers view as essential to be a legitimate

and credible offering within a certain product/service category.
Competitive points-of-parity These are associations designed to negate competitors’ points-of-
difference.
If a brand can “break even” in those areas where the competitors have failed to find an
advantage, the brand should be in a strong competitive position.
Correlational points-of-parity are potentially negative associations that arise from the existence
of positive association for the brands.
Crafting the Brand Positioning
Examples of Negatively Correlated Attributes and Benefits

• Low-price vs. High quality • Powerful vs. Safe

• Taste vs. Low calories • Strong vs. Refined

• Nutritious vs. Good tasting • Ubiquitous vs. Exclusive

• Efficacious vs. Mild • Varied vs. Simple

Crafting the Brand Positioning
Differentiation strategy- As the name suggests, is the strategy that aims to distinguish a product
or service, from other similar products, offered by the competitors in the market. It entails
development of a product or service, that is unique for the customers, in terms of product design,
features, brand image, quality, or customer service.
Basis of Differentiation
1. Product
2. Service
3. Personnel
4. Channel
5. Image
Crafting the Brand Positioning
Brand mantra is referred to as the brand essence while others call it a brand promise. A brand
mantra is short (usually between two and five words) and captures the competitive frame of
reference, the moments of difference, the aspects of parity in addition to everything else about
your brand into a single thought.
Role of Brand Mantras Brand mantras are powerful devices. By highlighting points-of-
difference, they provide guidance about:
• what products to introduce under the brand,
• what ad campaigns to run,
• and where and how to sell the brand.
• Their influence can even extend beyond these tactical concerns
Crafting the Brand Positioning
Designing a Brand Mantra Unlike brand slogans meant to engage, brand mantras are designed
with internal purposes in mind. Although Nike’s internal mantra was “authentic athletic
performance,” its external slogan was “Just Do It.” Here are the three key criteria for a brand
mantra.
Communicate: A good brand mantra should clarify what is unique about the brand. It may also
need to define the category (or categories) of business for the brand and set brand boundaries.
Simplify: An effective brand mantra should be memorable. For that, it should be short, crisp, and
vivid in meaning.
Inspire: Ideally, the brand mantra should also stake out ground that is personally meaningful and
relevant to as many employees as possible
Crafting the Brand Positioning
Crafting the Brand Positioning

Product Life-Cycle Marketing Strategies:

• Product Life Cycle Stages: Development
• Product Life Cycle Stages: Introduction
• Product Life Cycle Stages: Growth
• Product Life Cycle Stages: Maturity
• Product Life Cycle Stages: Decline