Brand Positioning

The object of positioning a brand is to cause people to feel that there is no completely satisfactory substitute for the brand.

To position a brand requires that you make choices. Having a position means that the brand will appeal to some people and not others. A brand can be positioned in several ways: offering a specific benefit, targeting a specific segment, price, or distribution.

Benefit positioning can be used if the brand perceivably differs in its ability to deliver a specific benefit. The power of a benefit position will depend on how many people care about the benefit and how different the brand is in delivering it.

Target positioning requires that all a brand’s marketing be focussed on a specific segment. The target may be defined demographically, economically, geographically, ethnically or attitudinally. To work, a target position should cause the people in the target to perceive the brand as superior in meeting their particular needs.

Price positioning puts the brand either at the top or bottom of the category. By being the most or least expensive brand in the category the brand takes on a specific identity. Obviously the size of the customer franchise, brand image and profit margins will be affected by this strategy. It is difficult to defend a price position.

Positioning by distribution is an often overlooked, but effective strategy. Placing a brand in a channel that is not used by competitors can effectively differentiate it and establish a unique identity. Being the first product of its kind sold in a channel of distribution can cause people to perceive it differently.

The importance of a strong brand position is not to be underestimated. It can last for years, even, as in the case of Ivory, for over a century. It may sound like heresy but I believe that neither innovation or quality are, by themselves, sufficient to guarantee that a brand will achieve all that it is capable of in the market place. What makes a position right is difficult to define. Bob Cox, chairman of the Cox group and creator of the long lasting, “ We make it simple” campaign that helped position Honda, says that positioning occurs when a “truth in the product” is connected to a “need of the consumer” by compelling communications. Every product has certain “truths” about it. Not every product has unique truths or truths that are very different from competition.

There are seven qualities that help to make a successful position:

1. Relevance

Positions that do not focus on benefits that are important to people or reflect the character of the product will fail. Often in their search for differentiation, marketers seize upon some attribute in their product which is different but in reality is of little concern to customers. This is a waste of time and money. The lonely Maytag repairman, who symbolizes reliability, is an example of a powerful position based on the quality built into the appliances.

2. Clarity

A position should be easy to communicate and quick to comprehend. Difficulty in either suggest that a position is to fuzzy to be of value to the brand. “We try harder because we are #2” established Avis as a major league competitor quickly and simply.

3. Distinctiveness

People have few needs that are unfulfilled, and they have many choices to fill the needs they have. If a brand’s position lacks distinctiveness it will be forced to compete on the bases of price or promotion; expensive strategies that will not build brand equity in the long term.

4. Coherence

Speak with one voice through all the elements of the marketing mix if you wish to create a strong position. If, for example, a brand that is positioned as premium quality and price appears in an end-aisle “sale” display, its quality image will suffer. The shipping cartons, freight pallets, envelope franking, packaging, advertising, promotions, shelf displays etc. should all reflect and translate the brand’s position into the appropriate form for the media.

5. Commitment

Often people will get nervous when a strong position threatens to ignore or even alienate some segment of the population as a price of clearly communicating to the desired target. Once a position is adopted, it takes commitment to see it through, in the face of criticism and pot shots.

6. Patience

Crest has dominated its market for over thirty years. When it was first introduced positioned as a cavity fighter its share never rose above 13% for three years. The ADA approval was the key to launching the brand to over 40% of the market. Had P&G lost patience after two or three years, someone else would be enjoying the profits of this powerful brand position.

7. Courage

It goes without saying that adopting a strong brand position requires bravery. It is much easier to defend an appeal to everyone with a rather generic sales pitch. You must believe that the position makes strategic sense for the brand and then stick to your guns.

Adopting a strong position is not a passive act; rather it is a deliberate attempt to influence events. It requires ignoring certain business targets in favor of others, and if successful, will yield growth in sales and profits and a consumer franchise who believe that your brand has no adequate substitute, even if it costs more.

Read Before Hiring A Copywriter

Here are some pointers to keep in mind when hiring freelance copywriters:

Identify Your Needs
Before you even begin searching for freelance copywriters, you should have a clear picture of what you need. You’ll want to create a detailed job description that defines the parameters of your project and your expectations.

Find the Right Specialist
As in most professions, freelance copywriters often have specialties. Some excel at writing websites and sales brochures while others are experts at writing technical manuals and PowerPoint presentations. Determine what skills are required to complete your job, and then find someone with proven experience in that type of writing.

Ask to See Samples
Most freelance copywriters will be delighted to show you samples of their work. Many writers even post them right online at their websites. Look at the work of the writers you’re considering and select someone with a writing style that suits your needs.

Ask for References
Many freelance copywriters can provide you with letters of recommendation or testimonials from clients regarding the quality of their work. You can also ask for a list of references to call yourself.

Get a Quote
You should know up front what you’re getting into. Some freelance copywriters will quote an hourly rate. Others will give you a project quote. Be sure you get the quote in writing and clearly define what the quote includes. One sticking point is often rewrites. Ask the copywriter how she/he handles revisions. Be sure to let the copywriter know if this is a one-time-only deal or if this project could be the start of a long-term relationship with regular work. Freelance copywriters often give price breaks to regular customers.

Clarify the Style of Copy You Need
Consider your audience. Who will ultimately be reading the copy? Is it a layperson or someone with a high level of expertise? What media are you using? For example, website copy is usually written in a friendly, conversational tone while technical manuals use more sophisticated language that presume the reader already has a solid knowledge base.

Explain Your Objectives
What is it you want prospects to ultimately do after reading your copy? Do you want them to just have a better understanding of your product, or do you want them to click on the “Buy Now” button? Be sure to clue your writer into your marketing strategy.

Set a Deadline
Establish a timeline for your project. If it’s a complicated job, break it into pieces, each with its own deadline. If the deadline you set is absolutely inflexible for whatever reason, be sure you communicate that to the copywriter up front. Be advised that many freelance copywriters will charge extra for rush jobs.

Ask for an Outline
If your project is long or complicated, ask the copywriter to provide an outline or to share with you some of the rough drafts. This way you can be sure the writer is on the right track and prevent major errors from being made.

Give Good Feedback
Expect that the first draft of copy you receive will not be 100% perfect. There’s always going to be some give and take between the writer and client. Hopefully, if you’ve selected the right person and clearly defined the project, the revisions will be relatively minor. Take a look at the writer’s first draft and clearly explain what areas you think need more work and why. Good copywriters know how to keep their ego out of the process and should accept your suggestions as constructive criticism aimed at making the final product the best it can be.

Respect the Writer’s Experience
Most professional copywriters really do know their stuff. Get the most for your money by listening to their suggestions and giving careful consideration to their ideas.

Advertising Planning

What is an advertising strategy?

Deciding strategy before starting to create advertising is common practice. But the definition of strategy is far from commonly agreed upon. Is it strategy to use a celebrity spokesperson? To compare one product with a competitor? To use a popular song as a theme? No, these are executional decisions. But I've often heard these described as strategic decisions.

To be meaningful, a strategic plan must:

...define a course of action about the future. It is not a reaction to events but a deliberate attempt to influence them.
...set parameters. Strategy implies a deliberate willingness to ignore certain business targets in favor of pursuing of others. The essence of strategic positioning is sacrifice.

Advertising works by causing people to respond to a brand in ways that will be beneficial to the advertiser: try it, buy it, use it, keep using it, use more, invest in it, pay more for it.

Advertising strategy involves three decisions:

HOW can advertising help the brand the most?

This is not as simple a question to answer as it may seem. You may decide the best way for advertising to help the brand is to focus on current customers, to get them to stay with the brand or use more of it. Or it may be better to focus on customers of competitive brands, to bring them to yours. Or it might be best to focus on people who are new to the product category, to convince them to use it for the first time.

Each of these choices will lead the advertising in a different direction. And it requires careful study and information to make a wise choice.

WHO is the target?

The "target audience" for advertising can be defined in several ways: demographically (age, income, occupation), psychographically (lifestyle, interests, hobbies, values), attitudinally (benefits sought from the product/service, perceptions of the brands), behaviorally (frequency of use of the product or service, brand switching, brand loyalty, price level).

Defining the target with some precision helps in knowing how to communicate with them and how to reach them.

WHAT do we want people to notice, think and feel?

Advertising, or any marketing communications, is a series of stimuli which produce a response from people.The strategy should define what response is desired. The creative process will determine how best to get it.

Successful advertising will cause people to notice something about the brand (a sensory response), to think something (a rational response), and to feel something (an emotional response). This combination of sensory, rational and emotional responses is a key part of an advertising strategy.

Deciding what they should be before creating advertising will save a lot of time and increase the chances of success. While the marketer is selling a product or service, people are buying benefits. As Theodore Levitt reminded us, people don't want a 1/4" drill bit, they want a 1/4" hole. Good advertising will make the case for how and why a person will benefit from choosing the advertised brand over any others.