Review of The Concept and Factors of Brand Positioning

Brand positioning refers to “target consumer’s” reason to buy the brand in preferences to others. It is a very grateful method in the marketing arena. It ensures that all brand activity has a common aim; is guided, directed and delivered by the brand’s benefits to buy; and focuses at all points of contact with the customer.

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

Brand positioning can be defined as an act of creating a brand offer in such a manner that it occupies a distinctive place and value in the target customer’s mind. Brand positioning involves identifying and determining points of similarity and differences to ascertain the right brand identity and to create a proper brand image. Brand positioning is the key to marketing strategy.

A strong brand positioning directs marketing strategy by explaining the brand details, the uniqueness of the brand and it’s similarity with the competitive brands, as well as the reasons for buying and using that specific brand. Positioning is the base for developing and increasing the required knowledge and perceptions of the customers. It is the single feature that sets your service apart from your competitors.

Positioning is a concept in marketing which was first introduced by Jack Trout and then popularized by Al Ries and Jack Trout in their bestseller book "Positioning - The Battle for Your Mind."

This differs slightly from the context in which the term was first published in 1969 by Jack Trout in the paper "Positioning". In it positioning is a game people play in today’s me-too market place". In the publication Industrial Marketing, in which the case is made that the typical consumer is overwhelmed with unwanted advertising, and has a natural tendency to discard all information that does not immediately find a comfortable (and empty) slot in the consumer's mind. It was then expanded into their first book, "Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind," in which they define Positioning as "an organized system for finding a window in the mind. It is based on the concept that communication can only take place at the right time and under the right circumstances".

Five Factors of Brand Positioning

• Brand Attributes

What the brand delivers through features and benefits to consumers.

• Consumer Expectations

What consumers expect to receive from the brand.

• Competitor Attributes

What the other brands in the market offer through features and benefits to consumers.

• Price

An easily quantifiable factor – Your prices vs. your competitors’ prices.

• Consumer Perceptions

The perceived quality and value of your brand in the consumer’s mind.