How to position a company, product, service or brand

Position is that one descriptive sentence or slogan the company is known for.

That one specific idea that first comes to mind about the product.

That one characteristic that sets the service apart from competitors.

For Volvo that one thing is "Safety."

McDonalds is "A fun place for kids."

In Jakarta, Indonesia, Bluebird is "The safest way to travel by taxi."

And everyone knows, Avis tries harder.

Play The Avis Story. Video news release provided by Avis.

This is a How To article and worksheet for creative directors, copywriters and account directors who position products, coompanies, brands and services.

The first step is to identify one specific attribute that sets the company, product, service or brand apart from competitors.

Just because a competitor could possibly say the same thing doesn't mean you should not use it. The first to plant their flag claims the mountain.

While positioning is how you want to be known, it must reflect reality. How the company really is known. Or how it can believably be known.

Example: Avis conducted research that heard employees saying, "We have to try harder because we're so much smaller."

Example: The way people really think about the 7-11 store on the corner is "Convenient, but more expensive."

So you might position them with a slogan that says, "Worth the convenience." You could even build a campaign around that idea, "Worth the convenience."

Your positioning statement should reflect the way people really think -- using simple language real people really use.

Lay's potato chips has a campaign using the line, "Let’s do lunch." The idea is to position Lay's chips as a companion to your noon meal. It works well because that particular colloquial expression was already floating around in people's heads, but not associated with another product.

This print ad for Volvo, created by Hakuhodo in Japan, gets our vote for the best positioning ad of the 20th century.

Ready to position your company, product or service? Try this:

Step 1: Make a list of all significant competitors and write a sentence defining their position in the market.

Step 2: Next define the current position of your company, product or service, as it really exists in the minds of consumers.

Step 3: Now identify a specific attribute about your product that can differentiate it from the competition in a way that some consumers will find desirable.

Don"t write just one. Come up with several. Then pick the best, and if one doesn"t stand out as best, then test several.

It's fine if that one thing only appeals to a segment, even a small segment, of your customers. It's better to be specific than general. And you can amplify other attributes in the ad campaign. So don't try to be all things to all people. All at once.

It must be simple. A word or two is great. A sentence or two max.

If it's obvious, that's fine. If the company is the global leader in widget production, say so. People like to go with number one, thinking it must be the best value.

- Genius is in simplicity and specificity. Success is in consistency.

And you must express the position in a way that people really think.

Say again?

You must express the position in a way that people really think.

Some examples.

Forget anything like, "The innovative leader in banking services, financial products and convenient technology."

People just don’t think that way, they don't use those kinds of words when thinking to themselves. So a phrase like that won't stick in their minds.

Here's something more like it: "South Africa's only international bank."

Another loser is, "Pizza Shack is the fun place for the whole family to enjoy a wide menu of delicious European and American dishes prepared with fresh ingredients."

That's too much. Who is going to keep a phrase like that in their head?

A winner would be, "Pizza Shack uses farm fresh ingredients."

Keep it simple. Succinct. And see if your positioning statement passes this check list:

* Is it true?

* Is it easy to understand?

* Does it differentiate the product in an attractive manner from the competition?

* Is it expressed the way people will express it in their own minds, their own words?

Avoid generalities:
The convenient bank.
We take care of everything.
The airline with super service.

Be tangible, and vivid:
The bank on every block.
We're #2, so we try harder.
Welcome aboard, your Highness.

Be specific:
Good to the last drop. Maxwell House.
Think different. Apple computers.
Quick as a click. Citibank PC banking.

Forget generic or ambiguous:
Get the sensation.
More like the woman you are.
You have the power.

You should present the same position in every ad. And do so year, after year after year. The "safety" position for Volvo is a perfect example. Don't stray from that one core idea.

Unless.

Unless you need to change a position that really doesn't reflect reality. "Safety" will only work for Volvo until a technology is invented that makes driving risk free.

Or unless your position has become stale, which is a particular vulnerability in trendy markets. Which includes everything from TV shows to fashions. In cases like these, a clever re-positioning can give an old product a new advantage in the marketplace.

Lay's potato chips was once positioned as "Thinner, crispier and tastier." More recently, as mentioned earlier, they have made the marketing decision to seek market share among lunch munchers with, "Let's do lunch," which positions the product as a lunch companion.

Notes:

- There are two realities to consider: One is where you or the client wants to position the product. And the other is how the buying public actually positions the product in their minds.

If it's a new product, or if consumers don"t have a clear position in their minds, then you have a clean slate to work with.

If people in the target audience already have a position in their minds, and it's not a desirable position, then you need to re-position the product.

- If you can't create a strong tag line or slogan, don’t use a weak one. It just adds clutter to your communication. And speaks poorly for your brand. You don’t have to just because "everyone else does it."

- Be sure to allow flexibility in international campaigns. When translated directly into Korean, the KFC positioning slogan, "Finger licking good" came out "You'll eat your fingers off." Not an appetizing prospect in any country.

In international campaigns, verbal ideas do not translate as well, or as quickly, as visual ideas. Speaking of which, a nice trick is to create a visual way to express your position. In the form of an icon or a logo.

Maxwell House coffee uses a tilted coffee cup with one last drop of coffee falling out. Their line, "Good to the last drop."

- The biggest obstacles you will encounter attempting to effectively position the product is the desire to generalize, complicate, and change.

You'll hear clients say, "Yes, but our toothpaste does fight cavities and it does brighten teeth and it does keep your breath fresh and it does help prevent gum disease. It does all those things."

Yeah, Mr. Client, but if you try to position your product that way you will be none of those things. That's because people don't think that way. Just like you, they position products with one idea. And if the position is confusing, with no idea. So brighten smiles. Or freshen breath. Or keep gums healthy. But don't try to do all three at the same time.

- When and if you have a strong position, don’t change it. It takes courage to admit, "I don't have a better idea." And every new agency, every new marcom or brand manager feels they have to improve on what has been done before.

But your job is to do the best you can to advertise the product or service. And if that means keeping that simple, obvious position that has worked so well in the past, then do so.

The most successful positioning statements are simple to understand and repeated year after year after year.

People remember with repetition.

People remember with repetition.

- The idea of "positioning" was championed by Jack Trout and Al Ries, originally in an article in the Harvard Business Review, and later in two books.

But "positioning" is the evolution of an idea first defined by Rosser Reeves, which you may know as the USP, or Unique Selling Proposition.

Positioning is one of, and perhaps the most important aspects of a marketing plan.

How you present the position can be anything from a simple tag line to an entire campaign.

Safety-pin or sonogram of a child in the mother's womb, Volvo stands for safety. A theme that is the focus of most advertising.

Bluebird, "The safest way to travel by taxi" in Jakarta. A tag line in all ads, signs and communications.

An easy way to get a quick insight into this notion of positioning is to take a look around. Say your in the ad biz. In your town there's going to be:

* The hot creative shop.

* The sweat shop, where people are underpaid and overworked.

* The shop dominated by account services, where creatives cower.

Think of three major agencies, or three competitor companies in any business, and one short impression or definition will spring to mind. That's their 'position.'

Especially in international campaigns, verbal ideas may not translate as well, or as quickly, as visual ideas. So it can help to create a visual expression of the position. In the form of an icon or a logo.