The basic object of positioning a brand is to make people feel that there is no satisfactory substitute of a product. Adapting a strong position is not a sheer passive act, rather it is an intentional effort to influence events. It needs sidelining, ignoring, seated business targets to favour of others.
Post success a product will reap increased sales/profits and a consumer franchise who will finally believe that there is no satisfactory substitute. Dilip Ray believes in branding first and positioning later. He says, “Lots of products have gone haywire over the years. They constantly keep aspiration levels high and reminding that a product is there.”
In a heavily competitive space ME TOO products will hardly make a difference, a product has to get ingrained inside an audience’s mind. Prof Subroto Sengupta an author once said, “a product must find a definitive place in an individual’s perception inside a world of products.” In other words the product should find a strong position and should sit tightly over it. To position a brand requires that helps you make choices and having a position that means that the product will appeal to some and might not to others. Piyush from vedainformatics.com confirms a thought by saying, “a product’s success can define a company’s brand value. Branding is not something which is one size- fits all, understanding a product and their target audience is important. Positioning can happen later along with packaging and finishing that comes as additions.” In broader terms positioning can be done in several ways like offering special benefits, targeting special segments, pricing and distribution.Being different is essentially important, benefit positioning can be used if the brand is perceivably differentiates in its ability to deliver a specific benefit. Benefit positioning will again depend on how many people really care about benefit and how differently the brand delivers it.
Arthur Cadzo stresses on comparisons, “One can simply flaunt the USP (Unique Selling Proposition) of the product. Show the facts and salient features of the product. You are sure of then compare the facts and stats and figures of yours and others.” He meant dotting the dart- know your audience. It requires brand marketing should be focused, precise and targeted on a specific segment. The target audience can vary from demography, economy, geography, ethnic identity and of course attitudinally. To work, target positioning should cause the people in the target to perceive superiority of a brand to meeting their respective needs.
Prodeep K Hui a senior media person asserts, “The strategy of undifferentiated marketing has now changed to focused marketing activity amongst individual sub-group and a defined geographical area.” Markets have always been sensitive to pricing. Prices build brands. It has the ability to put a brand either on the top or bottom of the category. Being the most or least expensive brand in respective category can be an asset or liability in certain cases. Well, there are standalone exceptions like Rolex and Marlboro, if reports are to be believed their sales plummeted dramatically after their promoters reduced their prices. Here the former brands have positioned in the consumer minds in a different league (macho and elite respectively). It purely depends that the particular promotion is done for the masses or the classes. Obviously size of consumers, brand image and profit margins might get affected by this strategy owned.
At times it becomes difficult to depend on a price position, for instance we understand that Mercedes Benz has been positioned as an expensive and conservative vehicle. The implication for the marketing mix -the 4P’s would be that of this premium branded car, a high priced car which is selectively distributed and marketed. For example an Audi or a Porche will never get advertised in a regional or vernacular newspaper, it will choose Discovery, National Geographic or BBC unless the promoters have biased interests. The selective target group comprises of price elastic consumers, segmented on the basis of demography, lifestyle strata and certain rational/emotional core values.
Speaking macro six qualities can result a successful brand position campaign. A product with a face or relevance. Positioning that fails to touch a human chord through which a person can not relate or identify is ineffective. A positioning which is unable to reflect a character of the product is unable to reflect a character of a product is bound to fail. Akshay Kumar’s endorsement of Bagpiper and Thumbs Up reflects a macho image. The legendary Gattu, the painter boy of the Asian paints. Relevancy of the product from a human angle helps positioning a brand successfully.
Plain and simple words can do wonders read clarity. ‘We try harder because we are No 2’ established Avis as a major league competitor quickly. By establishing an underdog position in the mind Vs Hertz. Avis strived to overcome dissonance in the prospects choice situation by triggering an effective route to persuasion i:e evoking a sense of empathy for an honest #2.
A position should be simple enough to comprehend. The message should be loud and clear. Is your product unique or somewhat distinct from others, if not how can be – Discontent, emptiness or a vacuum in a person’s heart is always there. All his need is not satisfied. Hundred of products are scrambling with each other in a limited space. What is that differentiates– price, promotion and expensive strategies that will not build brand equity in long term.
Don’t you think look matters? No matter how good your product is does not create an articulate stroke, you may land up in an unwanted place. If a product is meant for a particular class the class has to be identified first and then accordingly jive up to expectation and be committed.
In the past decade or so the WWW (world wide web) has provided an independent platform to individual users, private firms, government and large organizations to show up and showcase who they are. Here comes the relevance of OTS (opportunity to see). A spiraling growth of the internet and unique users is growing by the day. Blogs/ articles writing is a neo phenomena and SEO (search engine optimization newer). Here is the opportunity that lies, there are approximately 70 Million blog users in the world, how to differentiate? SEO is a rank improvement technique of a site, blog or even a company with the help of existing popular search engines like Google, Yahoo or Rediff. If I talk about businesses relying heavily on the internet, optimization will become indispensable in forthcoming years, for sure. I would like to mention again, your product has to be good and reliable, SEO techniques is like a supplement which can boost immunity and health of a modern organization tremendously. No matter how good you dressed your window, the pane should good or else, sooner than later, it will fall off.
A brand is like a promise--it represents traits of company's products/ services. The brand is also a faith that a consumer reposes and believes that it will change lives.
