Immerse > Positioning Messages

Why

Product positioning helps to place the product in the consumer’s mind relative to competing products. E.g., Car companies position their products as fast, fun, exciting, and fuel-efficient. The ultimate goal of a positioning message is to identify positions in the market that represent unmet needs. If your product fills those needs better than any other product, you will be naturally differentiated from it.

How

Consider the following when positioning a product or service:

• Long lasting: It must work for an extended period. Generally, positioning should not be done on technological innovation as this can be copied or improved on.
• Clear and Coherent: The message needs to be obvious and clear to the customer.
• Distinctive: It must allow the consumer to see the company as distinctive to be effective.
• Relevant: It must be relevant to the consumer rather than to the company.

Types of Product Positioning

• Benefit: Created by the benefits offered by the product. E.g. The fuel economy of a hybrid car.
• Target: The positioning should make the consumer think that the product belongs to them, not to others.
• Price: High pricing can position the product as a luxury, attracting high-end consumers. Low pricing also positions products.
• Distribution: Some products are only sold at certain locations/stores.
• Service: Various services offered to help position a product. E.g. Open 24/7. “No Hassle” return policy.

References

• Positioning
• Boone, Louis E., and David L. Kurtz. Contemporary Marketing. Thomson South-Western, 2006.
• Nunes, Paul, and Brian Johnson. Mass Affluence: Seven New Rules of Marketing to Today’s Consumer. Accenture, 2004