A concept so simple, people have

difficulty understanding how powerful

it is!
What
Positioning is owning a piece of consumers mind

Positioning is not what you do to a product
Its what you do to the mind of the prospect

You position the product in the prospects mind
Examples
Colgate is Protection

Lux is Glamour

Ponds is Care

Axe is Confidence

Gillette is Quality
How
The easy way to get into a persons mind is to be
first
Xerox, Kodak, Polaroid, Sun TV, The Hindu, F&L

If you didnt get into the mind of your prospect
first, then you have a positioning problem
Better to be first than be best

In the positioning era, you must, however, be
first to get into the prospects mind
How
The basic approach is not to create something new
or different, but manipulate whats already in the
mind

To find a unique position, you must ignore
conventional logic

Conventional logic says you find concept inside
product
Not true; look inside prospects mind

Its difficult to change behaviour,
but easy to work with it
- Paco Underhill
You concentrate on the perceptions of the
prospect, not the reality of the product

Points of Difference Associations
Attributes or benefits that consumers strongly associate
with the brand
Not available in competitive brands
Unique Selling Propositions
Sustainable Competitive Advantages
Points of Parity Associations
Not unique to brands but may be shared with other
brands
Category Points of Parity: Attributes and Benefits that
exist at the generic and expected level
Critical for Brand Extensions
Guidelines
Start by looking not at the product but at the
position in the market that you wish to occupy, in
relation to competition

Think about how the brand will answer the main
consumer questions
What will it do for me that others will not?
Why should I believe you?

Try to keep it short and make every word count
and be as specific as possible
Vagueness opens the way to confused executions
What is key insight?
Key Insight is seeing below the surface / seeing
inside the consumer

Insight expresses the totality of all that we know
from seeing inside the consumer

An insight is a single aspect of this that we use to
gain competitive advantage

By identifying a specific way
That the brand can either solve a problem or
Create an opportunity for the consumer
Key Insight
I wish to be socially
accepted
Key Insight
Soap leaves my skin
nourished and pampered
How to find one?
What are the ways in which the category / brand
can improve someones life?

What are the conflicting needs that people face
and that the brand can solve?

How important is it that the product delivers?
Who will notice?

What is standard of excellence in the category?

With every answer you get, you need to probe
deeper:
Why is that?
The 3Cs of positioning
Be Crystal clear

Be Consumer-based
Be relevant and credible to the consumer
Write in consumer language and from consumers view point

Be Competitive
Be distinctive
Focus on building brand elements into powerful discriminator
Be persuasive
Be sustainable
And then
The brand name!

The name is the first point of contact between the
message and the mind

The brand name is a knife that cuts the mind to let the
brand message inside
Ries & Trout