Many marketers are rethinking their brand\u2019s positioning because competitive pressures, new channels, and changing customer needs have eroded their brands\u2019 positions of strength. However, increased marketing expenditures to reposition brands often fail to produce any improvements in either overall image or market share. Our experience has shown that companies should focus on achievable rather than apparitional positioning, and that three steps can help ensure success –<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ensure relevance to a customer\u2019s frame of reference.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Secure the customer\u2019s \u201cpermission\u201d for the positioning.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Deliver on the brand\u2019s new promise.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n An array of factors is requiring marketers today to rethink their brand positioning. Changing customer needs are often eroding the brand\u2019s established position. At the same time, increasing competitive pressures created by new entrants and product innovations, and the proliferation of new channels and promotional campaigns, are driving marketers back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why do these well-intentioned efforts turn into marketing failures? While there are many causes, companies often fail to focus on achievable brand positioning rather than apparitional brand positioning. Too often, their efforts target an ambitious goal that outstrips the actual ability of the brand to deliver on what it has promised to customers. Or the goal is too far from customers\u2019 current brand perception to be a realistic brand objective. For example –<\/p>\n\n\n\n These examples underscore the imperative to pursue a brand positioning that is eminently achievable, not just attractive. Based on our experience, three steps can help ensure that they make this distinction – 1) ensuring relevance to a customer\u2019s frame of reference; 2) securing the customer\u2019s \u201cpermission\u201d for positioning; and 3) making sure that the brand delivers on its promise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be Relevant to the Customer\u2019s Frame of Reference<\/strong> When repositioning a brand, it\u2019s essential for marketers to capture not just the emotional and physical needs of the customer, but the dynamics of the situation in which those needs occur. We refer to this as the customer\u2019s \u201cframe of reference.\u201d For example, while Rasna and Tang are thirst- quenching drinks, consumers tend to think of them in the broader context of sports, exercise, and physical activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being fully aware of the frame of reference for a brand can help ensure that its repositioning strategy will resonate with customers. But the frame of reference is usually a combination of both customers\u2019 attitudes and the situations in which the brand is used. As a result, we typically and the most powerful customer insights and segmentation come from looking at a combination of these factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a result, in most instances the frame of reference is built upon a combination of both of the above attitudinal and situational forces. For example, while consumers may generally have a health-conscious attitude about the foods they eat, on certain \u201cspecial\u201d occasions they may allow themselves to become more indulgent, creating what we call a \u201cneed state.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Many marketers are rethinking their brand\u2019s positioning because competitive pressures, new channels, and changing customer needs have eroded their brands\u2019 positions of strength. However, increased marketing expenditures to reposition brands often fail to produce any improvements in either overall image or market share. Our experience has shown that companies should focus on achievable rather than…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-107694","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n