Unit 5: Positioning, Differentiation, and Branding Flashcards
The art of staking out a particular piece of mental real estate for a brand in the customer’s mind by crafting and communicating a differential positioning statement.
Brand Positioning
_____________ involves identifying and articulating the space we are trying to occupy in a customer’s mind, based on their understanding of the problem they are trying to solve (aka: the benefits they want to receive) and based on how they view the marketplace.
Positioning
As part of the positioning activity, we are keen to _____________ ourselves in the customer’s mind relative to competitors, which means that we stand alone as the best options by addressing the most important and unique needs of the targeted customer.
differentiate
The vessel through which we create relationships with customers based on our positioning (and the differentiation we offer) in the marketplace is the ____________.
brand
positioning statement
identifies the target market, makes at least one important claim about the product relative to competitive offerings, and provides some support for the advantage
When competing against other energy drinks like Red Bull and Monster, 5-Hour Energy is thinking through how to get its brand to occupy a clear, distinctive, and desirable place in its target customers’ minds. What problem is it trying to solve?
Positioning
For claims about the product, positioning statements should:
focus on the single, most important value claim
When shopping for a smartphone, a consumer first compares prices to see which brand offers the lowest price. After also inspecting the product features of the various phones, however, she decides that the lowest-priced brand is not her choice. Instead, she selects the brand with the best features for her needs. This outcome is the result of the chosen brand’s unique value claim that is known as:
functional value
T-Mobile market themselves as “America’s largest, fastest, and most reliable 5G network”. The managers at T-Mobile use the following strategy to leverage product differences for being distinctive….
Vertical Positioning
First, brands matter to us, as people because they do three important things for us:
- Reduce risk - by making it easier to identify the source of the offering and signaling a level of quality (when I need an electric tool, I’ll probably buy DeWalt because I’ve always heard they make high quality products)
- Reduce search cost - by making it easier to find what we are looking for when we are shopping (finding the shampoo we want in a sea of choices)
- Serve as internal or external symbolic device - by creating feelings of affinity and creating communities among those with whom we share interests, behaviors, and/or value (Jeep Wrangler owners)
On OFFENSE = Brand Building
Memorable - should be easily recognizable and easily recalled
Meaningful - should suggest the product category/purpose and convey credibility
Appealing (likeable) - create positive feelings and be aesthetically appealing
On DEFENSE = Brand Protecting
Transferable - works well within and across product categories and works well within and across geographical and cultural boundaries
Adaptable - can it be updated overtime without becoming dated
Protectable - can it be legally defended (e.g., more generic names, such as “Delta,” have more limited protection)
_______ refers to the shared brand stories and associations that accumulate and fill the brand markers (elements) with meaning.
Brand culture
______ is a quantitative measurement of the total financial value of a brand, although a number of consulting firms have different approaches to determining the value using various quantitative and qualitative inputs.
Brand value
Which of the following criteria for selecting brand elements is NOT considered to be a defensive criteria?
Appealing (likeable)
A strategy for positioning a product or service in which managers strip away attributes consumers expect in a mature product and add some surprising new ones.
Reverse positioning
When brands find themselves stuck in low-opportunity product categories, _______________ provides a way to escape by leaping into a new category.
breakaway positioning
Swatch attracted customer attention by positioning the brand as a fashion accessory instead of as a functional object.
breakaway positioning
Rather than selling a household robot with unreliable performance, Sony decided to reposition the AIBO as a robotic “pet.”
stealth positioning
tainted product or service
A strategy for repositioning a brand that has historically targeted one gender to attract another.
gender-bending
Repositioning an _________ is difficult because its consumers rely on it to present their identities to others.
identity brand
____________ highlights attributes that are shared among brands, but stresses a particular brand’s superior performance on those attributes, using words such as smaller, faster, and cheaper.
Vertical positioning
