Positioning: Successfully Different from All Others
Positioning is the compass that determines a company's orientation and enables all its activities to be meaningfully aligned. In WIR-MARKEN, the positioning of the company
(Which markets are we active in?) and the positioning of individual brands
(What sets us apart from the competition?) form a convincing unity: What fits a company, the internal culture it maintains, and what its brands stand for externally, are all consistent. Therefore, positioning not only guides what a company should do, but also clearly indicates what it should
not do.
Successful positioning sets a company apart from its competitors, making it unique. What matters is not factual differences, but rather how the customer perceives it. The diversity of competing offers, the never-ending flood of incessantly disseminated advertising messages, and the seemingly limitless possibilities of a globally interconnected economy make competition a battle for the limited attention of the customer. Those who have "secured a front-row seat in the customer's mind," as it is often said today, are ahead.
Herbert Hainer (Adidas): Respect your brand and its history, and handle both with care!
Key Aspects of Positioning
A successfully positioned brand stands out in the customer's perception from competitors – positioning creates differentiation. Here is an overview of fundamental positioning approaches:
Being the first to market a product or service gives an unbeatable advantage over competitors. "The original" not only captures the customers' attention before anyone else; it is usually also associated with "authenticity" and quality and is typically promoted accordingly.
Positioning based on low prices is a risky strategy, as there is always the danger of eventually losing the price war with competitors. The electronics giant
Saturn made "Geiz ist geil" (being stingy is cool) a popular phrase and is another example of how successful a simple, clear, repeatedly communicated brand message can be. Consistently positioning based on a low price only works in the long term if the low-price strategy is embedded in a suitable business model.
- Being Better (More Exclusive)
Being a pioneer is an ideal positioning – in this case, the brand as a genuine product novelty virtually creates its market. However, such positioning is the exception, as in most markets, there are already competitors. In such cases, a quality or premium strategy can form the basis of positioning. The core message is: We offer something special, something high-quality, and that comes at a price.
- Occupying Specific Niches
Another basic approach involves specialization, targeting specific groups with tailored offerings. Conventional target group segmentations inevitably overlook such categories; what matters is intuitively grasping customer needs and successfully penetrating a sufficiently large target group.
Conclusion: Positioning
A successful positioning leaves no room for misunderstandings and convincingly sets a brand apart from competitors. Key principles for positioning WIR-MARKEN are clarity and radicality, a brand "lived" consistently by both management and employees, a self-responsible brand management without delegating responsibilities outward, regular reflection on the chosen path beyond day-to-day business, a focus on the emotional value the brand delivers, and a new, partnership-based understanding of the customer role.
"There are simply too many companies, too many products, too much marketing noise." (Jack Trout/Al Ries 1981)
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