POSITIONINGClauncy & Shulman, 1994

Positioning is something all marketers talk about, but rarely do anithing

● Gary Witt, 1998Positioning is how to take market share

Ries & Trout, 2004Positioning is not what you do to a product. Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect ……..

Osama Taha, 2004 A positioning strategy results in the image you

want to draw in the mind of your customers, the picture you want him/her to visualize of you what you offer, in relation to the market situation, and any competition you may have.

Kotler, 2003Positioning is the act designing the company’s offering and image to occupy a distinctive place in the mind of the target market

●Lawson, 2006Positioning is one of the more misunder-stood concepts in business-to-business

Vadim Kotelnikov, 2005 Positioning is about how you

differentiate your product or service in the mind of your prospect

Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect-you look for the solution of your problem inside the prospect’s mind.

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

Positioning is defined as the way by which the marketers creates impression in the customers mind.

Positioning is your competitive strategy.

  ◦What's the one thing you do best?  ◦What's unique about your product or service? 

◦Identify your strongest strength and use it to position your product.

Three Elements In True Positioning

☻ Who Are you (Creating an image)

☻How You Are Different From Competition ( Differentiation )

☻How You can satisfy Their Needs & Wants ( Communicating Benefits )

THE ESSENCE OF POSITIONING : A new approach to communication, advertising and marketing.

The primary elements of positioning are:Pricing.  Is your product a luxury item,

somewhere in the middle, or cheap, cheap, cheap.

Quality.  Total quality is a much used and abused phrase.  But is your product well produced?  What controls are in place to assure consistency?  Do you back your quality claim with customer-friendly guarantees, warranties, and return policies?  

Cont’Service.  Do you offer the added value of

customer service and support?  Is your product customized and personalized?

Distribution.  How do customers obtain your product?  The channel or distribution is part of positioning.

Packaging.  Packaging makes a strong statement.  Make sure it's delivering the message you intend.

USAGES OF THE POSITIONING

1. How your company is situated relative to its competitors

2. How your products and services are situated in the minds of customers and target audiences.

WHAT ARE THE SUCCESSFUL POSITIONING ?# Competitors# Customers# Channel (whether you sell direct, indirect or

both)

THE STEP TEMPLATE FOR SUCCESSFUL POSITIONING

1. What position do you currently own?2. What position do you want to own?3. Whom you have to defeat to own the

position you want ?4. Do you have the resources to do it ?5. Can you persist until you get there ?6. Are your tactics supporting the positioning

objective you set ?

Questions and Comments ?

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

Cont’Determine each product's share of mindDetermine each product's current location

in the product spaceDetermine the target market's preferred

combination of attributes (referred to as an ideal vector)

Examine the fit between: ◦The position of your product◦The position of the ideal vector

The brand positioning process involves:Identifying the business's direct

competition (could include players that offer your product/service amongst a larger portfolio of solutions)

Understanding how each competitor is positioning their business today (e.g. claiming to be the fastest, cheapest, largest, the #1 provider, etc.)

Cont’Documenting the provider's own

positioning as it exists today (may not exist if startup business)

Comparing the company's positioning to its competitors' to identify viable areas for differentiation

Developing a distinctive, differentiating and value-based brand positioning statement, key messages and customer value propositions.

MARKET POSITIONING

The place the product occupies in the consumer’s mind relative to competing products

Four major positioning errors1. Underpositioning: Market only has a vague

idea of the product.2. Overpositioning: Only a narrow group of

customers identify with the product.3. Confused positioning: Buyers have a

confused image of the product as it claims too many benefits or it changes the claim too often.

4. Doubtful positioning: Buyers find it difficult to believe the brand’s claims in view of the product’s features, price, or manufacturer.

Questions & Comment