Strategic brand management

BRAND POSITIONING
Positioning guidelines
 Use PODs & POPs as a effective tool for
positioning
 Starting point in defining a competitive
frame of reference for a brand
positioning is to determine category
membership
 For highly established products category
membership is not a focal issue. Ex-
coca cola
 There are many situations in which it is
important to inform consumers of a
brand’s category membership. Perhaps
the most important is the introduction
Positioning guidelines
 PDA (personal digital assistants) were launched
they could have been positioned as either a
computer accessory or as a replacement for an
appointment book. The failure to define
‘Category membership’ was one of the reason of
failure of the product.

Positioning guidelines
 Sometimes consumers know a brand's
category membership but may not be
convinced the brand is a true.
 Consumers are aware that Sony produces
computers, but may not be certain
whether Sony computers are in the
same class as Dell, HP and Lenovo

Positioning guidelines
 The preferred approach to positioning is to
inform consumers of brand’s membership
before stating its POD in relationship to
other category members
 For new products, separate marketing
programs are generally needed to inform
consumers of membership prior to one that
states a point of difference.
 Brands with greater resources can develop
concurrent marketing programs, one of
which features membership and the other
the POD
 Efforts to inform consumers of membership
Positioning guidelines
 There are three different ways brand’s
category membership can be conveyed
 Communicating category benefit: (New
washing machine with powerful motor-
just to create POP)
 Using Exemplars: associating to well
known brand (ITC using well known
actress for new product)
 Using product descriptor:: Product
descriptor follows the brand (Videocon
washing machine, Tata namak, Scooty)

Positioning guidelines
 Choosing Point of Difference
 Two important consideration in choosing PODs
are
 Consumer should find POD desirable
(desirability)
 Consumers belief about delivery by the
company (deliverability)
 Desirability criteria
 Relevance
 Distinctiveness
 Believability
 Deliverability criteria
 Feasibility
 Communicability
 Sustainability

Positioning guidelines
 Updating positioning over time:
 With established brands, competitive
forces often dictate shifts in positioning
strategy over time
1.Laddering:
1.Deepening the meaning of the brand to tap
new core brand associations
2.Reacting
1.Responding to competitive challenges that
are threatening already established
product
2.

Defining and Establishing Brand
Mantras
 In some cases brands span multiple product
categories and therefore may have
multiple distinct-yet related positioning
 As brand evolves and expand across
categories, marketers will want to define a
set of core brand associations to capture
the important dimensions of the brand
meaning and what the brand represents
 Core brand associations are those
abstract associations (attributes and
benefits) that characterize the 5 to 10
most important aspects or dimensions of a
Defining and Establishing Brand
Mantras
 To identify core brand associations
marketers should create a mental map
 To create mental map ask consumers
their top-of-the-mind brand associations
(When you think of this brand, what
comes to your mind?)



 Defining and Establishing
Brand Mantras: MENTAL
11
Map Mtv Real & genuine
Music
Original
Live & Immediate Informative

Trendsetter For me

Connected Trusting

Interactive Fun and entertaining

Popular Changing

Mainstream
Young
Irreverent & rebellious Popular
Leader Hip & cool 01/09/10
 Defining and Establishing Brand
Mantras: MENTAL Map Mtv
12
 Next marketers group brand associations into related
categories with descriptive levels to find CORE BRAND
ASSOCIATIONS
Music Community
What’s hot and what’s Shared experience (literally
new
Credibility and talk value)
Modern
Expert, Trusting, Reality Hip-cool
Personality Spontaneity
Irreverent, Hip-cool Up-to the-minute
Accessibility Immediate
Originally
Relevant, for for everyone Genuine, creative
Interactivity Fluidity
Connected and Always changing and
participatory evolving 01/09/10
Defining and Establishing Brand
Mantras
 Brand mantra is an articulation of the ‘heart
and soul’ of the brand, a short three-to-
five-word phrase that captures the
irrefutable essence or sprit of the brand
positioning
 It is similar to ‘brand essence’ or ‘core brand
promise’
 Purpose of Brand mantra is to ensure that all
employees and external marketing
partners understand what the brand most
fundamentally is to represent to
consumers, so they can adjust their actions
Defining and Establishing Brand
Mantras
 Brand mantra are powerful devises. They
can provide guidance about what
products to introduce under the brand,
what ad campaigns to run and where
and how the brand should be sold. It
may guide other decisions like look of
the reception area and the way
employees answer the phone
 Brand mantras create a mental filter to
screen out brand-inappropriate
marketing activities or actions of any
type that may have a negative bearing
on customers’ impression of the brand
Defining and Establishing Brand
Mantras
 Brand mantra
 Nike:Authentic- Athletic- Performance
 Disney: Fun-Family-Entertainment


Internal branding
 Internal branding is making sure that
members of the organization are
properly aligned with the brand and
what it represents
 Positioning the brand Internally
 Use your employees as your ambassadors
for the brand
 Using B2E (business-to-employee)
program
