HOW WOULD YOU DETERMINE POSITIONING STRATEGY
Research to develop a suitable positioning for a brand should try to get information on the following:
Who are the competitors?
Pepsi for example, might define its competitors as follows: Other cola drinks
Non diet soft drinks
All soft drinks
Nonalcoholic beverages All beverages except water
In most cases, there will be a primary group of competitors, and one or more secondly competitors. In this case, other cola drinks could be considered primary competitors, and secondary competitors.
How are their brands perceived and evaluated?
To determine how competitor brands are perceived, an appropriate set of product attributes should first be chosen for the comparison. Attributes include not only product characteristics and customer benefits, but also product association such as product uses or product users. Foe example, a relevant attribute for beer could be the association of a brand with outdoor picnics, apart from taste, strength, and so on.
Once a relevant set of attributes has been chosen, the next step is to do a survey in which prospects are asked to rate competing brands on each of these attributes. This is usually done through rating scale questions, as mentioned in an earlier section on how to measure consumer perceptions.
How are their brands positioned?
The next step is to determine how competitors are positioned with respect to the relevant attributes. What is the customer’s image of the various competitors? Which competitors are perceived as similar and which ones as different?
Who are the customers for our brand?
Analyzing the customers for our brand is the last step before a positioning decision is taken. One-way of doing this is to identify which attributes or customer benefits are most important and then identify groups of customers who value similar benefits.
Conducting the above four steps provides answers that will help make actual positioning decision. Even if research is not feasible or justifiable, the information should be obtained through secondary sources.
While making the positioning decision, certain guidelines should be followed:
An economic analysis should guide the decision. For example, if the positioning strategy id to be based on a new product attribute, a sizeable segment should be interested in the new attribute.
If an existing positioning is working, then a repositioning strategy should not be consider.
A positioning strategy that exploits the market opportunity should not be chosen if it promises something that the product cannot deliver. Therefore, prior to positioning, it is important to conduct blind taste-test, in-home or in-office use tests, to make sure that the product can deliver what it promises.
While selecting a positioning strategy, the use of any existing symbols should be considered. Symbols can have strong associations and can strengthen the positioning of a brand.
A positioning strategy, like an advertising objective, should be measurable. It should be monitored over time to see if any changes are needed.
A positioning strategy, to be effective, should go beyond product attributes and be based on a richer knowledge of the consumer. In other words, positioning should also try to associate the product with people’s lifestyle, and even feeling related to the product.
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