Positioning - A battle for the marketeers!

What is Positioning? 

Now quite often we hear marketeers and experts talk about the right positioning of a brand in the market. The book "Positioning- The Battle For Your Mind" by Al Ries and Jack Trout gives us a clear picture and all the required details about the ethics and importance of Positioning. 

This concept of Positioning has been existing over years together and has changed the nature of advertising and is an extremely powerful tool. 

Let us understand it in detail. Positioning as defined by the book is basically an approach to a new way of communication, which can reach the consumers and create an effect. Positioning starts with a product, merchandise, a service or maybe a company. But we must also keep in mind that positioning is not what YOU do to a product, it is what you do to the MIND of the prospect. Clearly, it is what you are able to do in the mind of the prospect. 

Now positioning often involves change, but if we look closely, changing the name or the package is not hampering the positioning of the product. These aspects can only help securing a place in the prospect's mind. The concept has become so popular today that it has changed the entire game of advertising. 

The most basic approach of positioning is not to create something new, but to manipulate what's already up there in the minds of consumers. If we look at today's marketplace, it is extremely dynamic, all the old tricks and strategies don't seem to work anymore.

Getting into the Mind.

All this while we understood a little about Positioning a brand. Now why do we focus on this concept?

We do this because every brand wants to create an impact and enter into their consumer's mind and stay there. Like we often say, the retention value right? It is important, but its a hard process too. Let's assume; if I ask someone "Which is your favorite perfume?" , and the person replies "Burberry! I just love their fragrances and also their bottles, my second favorite could be Fendi". See the difference?

Burberry, has been able to create such an impact by positioning themselves in a way wherein consumers love the fragrance and also the bottle. It is indeed someone's first choice. Now how did Burberry get there? The first brand to create the right impact wins the game, simple!

Love might be wonderful the second time, but nobody cares about the second person who went to the moon even if he/she was better. To understand the level and intensity of the competition is important for companies and brand which can help them position themselves better. 

The Positioning Era

Today it has become obvious that advertising is entering a new era. An era where creativity is no longer the key to success.

In order to create a distinctive place in the market, a niche market has to be carefully chosen and a differential advantage must be created in their mind. Brand positioning is a medium through which an organization can portray it’s customers what it wants to achieve for them and what it wants to mean to them. Brand positioning forms customer’s views and opinions.

Yet, too many companies embark on marketing and advertising programs as if the competitor's position did not exist. They advertise their products in a vacuum and are disappointed when their messages fail to get through.

Positioning today matters upon how you want to portray yourself and fit into a consumer's mind in one go. There is very less to contemplate and think about long term strategies as they do not work. To be successful today you must be able to touch base with reality and also be creative. This is what can help giving marketing and branding a new and fresh approach. 

Senjuti Biswas
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