Crafting the Brand Positioning | Chapter 10

Crafting the Brand Positioning | Chapter 10
Chapter 10 | Crafting the Brand Positioning
Understanding Positioning and Value Propositions
Positioning is the act of designing a company’s offering and image to occupy a distinctive place in the minds of the target market.
One result of positioning is the successful creation of a customer-focused value proposition, a cogent reason why the target market should buy a product or service.
Choosing a Competitive Frame of Reference?
The competitive frame of reference defines which other brands a brand competes with and which should thus be the focus of competitive analysis.
Identifying Potential Points of Difference and Points of Parity
Points-of-difference (PODs) are attributes or benefits that consumers strongly associate with a brand, positively evaluate, and believe they could not find to the same extent with a competitive brand.
Strong brands often have multiple points-of-difference. Some examples are Apple (design, ease-of-use, and irreverent attitude), Nike (performance, innovative technology, and winning)
Criteria for Points-of-difference (PODs)
Three criteria determine whether a brand association can truly function as a point-of-difference:
Desirability
Deliverability
Differentiability.
Points-of-Parity
The attribute or benefit associations that are not necessarily unique to the brand but may in fact be shared with other brands.
Category points-of-parity are attributes or benefits that consumers view as essential to a legitimate and credible offering within a certain product or service category.
Correlational points-of-parity are potentially negative associations that arise from the existence of positive associations for the brand.
Competitive points-of-parity are associations designed to overcome perceived weaknesses of the brand in light of competitors’ points-of-difference
Multiple Frames of Reference
It is not uncommon for a brand to identify more than one actual or potential competitive frame of reference, if competition widens or the firm plans to expand into new categories.
Quick-serve restaurants and convenience shops (McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts)-Intended PODs might be quality, image, experience, and variety; intended POPs might be convenience and value.
What is Straddle Positioning?
Occasionally, a company will be able to straddle two frames of reference with one set of points-of-difference and points-of-parity.
In these cases, the points-of-difference for one category become points-of-parity for the other and vice versa
Means of Differentiation
Any product or service benefit that is sufficiently desirable, deliverable, and differentiating can serve as a point-of-difference for a brand.
What is Brand Mantras?
A brand mantra is a three- to five-word articulation of the heart and soul of the brand.
Nike’s brand mantra of “authentic athletic performance” is visibly reinforced by its endorsements of top athletes like champion tennis player Rafael Nadal.
Role of Brand Mantras
Brand mantras must economically communicate what the brand is and what it is not.
McDonald’s “Food, Folks, and Fun”
Disney’s “fun family entertainment”
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.”
Key criteria for 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.
Establishing a Brand Positioning
Communicating Category Membership
There are three main ways to convey a brand’s category membership:
Announcing category benefits
Comparing to exemplars
Relying on the product descriptor
What are Alternative Approaches to Positioning?
Brand Narratives and Storytelling : Narrative branding as based on deep metaphors that connect to people’s memories, associations, and stories.
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