We live in an over-communicating society where information bombards us from everywhere. Advertising is so ingrained in our reality that it has become part of our culture and way of thinking.
But how to stand out and grow your brand in this information chaos? How to promote your business and gain a competitive edge? That’s where brand positioning comes in.
First things first, let’s start with the definition of brand positioning.
What is Brand Positioning?
Marketing author and professor Phillip Kotler describes brand positioning as “the act of designing a company’s offering and image to occupy a special place in the minds of target markets.” In short, it’s about how and where the brand sits in the customer’s mind.
The main idea of brand positioning is not to create something new and different but to manipulate prospective customers’ knowledge about other brands. It’s more than just a catchy slogan and brainwashing your prospects with tons of advertisements. It’s about standing out from the crowd and becoming memorable in a subtle way.
Why is brand positioning important?
Where would you go when you need to buy a gift for your coworkers? Is it Amazon? The answers that first come to mind are examples of excellent brand positioning strategies. Those brands occupy a place in your mind, and they know how to do it right.
It may seem that brand positioning is a mystical thing embedded in your company by default, but it’s not. You need to maintain it and rethink it from time to time.
It is a wisely crafted strategy that ties your business’s vision, identity, purpose, and product image together to put your business in a prominent place in the market. Also, it helps you create and maintain your brand image and reputation.
Let’s look at examples of successful brand positioning to see why it is so important.
Brand Positioning Example
Amazon
Amazon’s Who We Are statement on its website is a perfect example to consider! Here you can find how Amazon positions its brand among other companies.
Its brand positioning screams, We are here for YOU! And you can feel it in everything the company does. The attention to customer needs and wants is amazing. It manifests a client-centered approach through its sales strategies, campaigns, and quick delivery requirements.
Amazon bills itself as the most client-centered company on Earth, the best employer, and the safest place to work. And it has its reasons for doing so. If you were to look at the company in 1994, all you would see is an online bookstore that had a growing selection of books, reasonable prices, and attractive shipping options.
Look at it now. Do you notice any changes? Obviously, it’s grown and expanded a lot, but it still has the same approach as it did in 1994. It is still obsessed with customers, growing, and has convenient shipping. This is a great example of accurate brand positioning that occupies a significant place in our minds.
Tesla
Tesla stays true to its original brand positioning statement, “The only stylish car that can go from 0 to 100 in 3 seconds without a drop of oil”. It is not just a car; it is a technology that makes customers feel part of the future, part of a cool technology that is safe for both – humans and nature.
On the official website, in the About Tesla section, you can find a summary of the company’s past achievements and future goals. And this text is soaked in brand positioning statements!
For example, the sentence “Combining safety, performance, and efficiency, the Model S has reset the world’s expectations for 21st century cars” suggests that Tesla is positioning its brand as the safest, most efficient, environmentally friendly, and innovative.
Tesla has a similar approach to brand positioning as Amazon they leverage their innovative technology and value to build the future. They are both trying to say that they are a bridge to something better, and you should join them.
McDonald’s
The previous two are relatively new, while the third has a long history, and we love it! Parapapa!
McDonald’s is founded on four key principles – Quality, Service, Hygiene, and Value. These are the main pillars that position the brand on top of the fast food industry.
It all started in 1955, when Ray Kroc decided to expand and reposition the brand. He saw that being fast at serving food wasn’t enough, which is why he started implementing his own approach.
Kroc analyzed his competitors and realized that fast food restaurants lacked in service, quality, and cleanliness. With that, he started positioning his brand as a fast food restaurant with quality hamburgers at a low price.
McDonald’s remains true to its values to this day, but at the same time, it is flexible and adaptable to changes in the world. For example, its Clean approach can be traced in its new environmental campaign, which is a perfect example of brand repositioning and adaptation.
It wants to build a better future like Tesla and Amazon. And by expanding its initial value, it gains customer trust and approval.
