Positioning Brands in CommunicationPositioning Brands in Communication

© 2010 Diederich Bakker

Brand Communication ManagementBrand Communication Management

8

Last Lecture

• Aaker’s Brand Identity System

• Use the learned terminology in classroom, assignments

Positioning

• “. . . the act of designing the company’s offer and image so that it occupies a distinct and valued place in the target customer’s minds.” Philip Kotler

• In terms of marketing communication, locating a brand in the target audience‘s mind relative to competitors in terms of benefits (Percy Elliott, 2005)

Positioning

Brand

Competitors

Target Audience’sMind

Benefits

Communication

• Positioning: In terms of marketing communication, locating a brand in the target audience‘s mind relative to competitors in terms of benefits

Consumer Benefits Related to the Four Components of the Marketing Mix Percy Elliott, 2005

• Product– Must provide attributes that are seen as offering particular

benefits to the consumer

• Price– Must be seen within the context of a price-value relationship

• Place– Must provide convenient access to the product as well as a

positive store image

• Promotion– Will alert the consumer to potential benefits

Energizer Bunny

• Defining and communicating the competitive frame of reference– Who is the target consumer?

– Who are the main competitors

– How is the brand similar to these competitors

– How the brand is different from them

• Choosing and establishing points-of-parity and points-of-difference

Brand Positioning Guidelines

Motorola’s real point of difference

is “slim”

Note: co-branding: Motorola and

Verizon

Points of parity:

slimness

TOD’s - handcrafted

Volvic – Ingredients missing, health, wellbeing.Positioned against

cola

Positioning is like a ‘ladder in the mind. The top rung is the best’

Reis and Trout (2001)

Virgin Blue

Qantas

Jetstar

Number 1 Position

The Three Steps to Effective Brand PositioningPercy, Elliot, 2005

Options for Positioning Brands relative to Competitors

• User oriented positioning– User as ‚hero‘ is the benefit

– When social approval is primary motivation

• Product benefit oriented positioning– Product and its characteristics is hero (most

cases)

Different Aspects of a Benefit

• Attribute (a)– An objective component of a product/service

• Characteristic (c)– A subjective claim about a product/service

• Emotion (e)– A feeling associated with the product/service

Next Lecture

• Brand Communication Strategy