Positioning Identifier

“Which brand positions are available in the customer’s mind?”

“Positioning is the Battle for the Mind.” — Al Ries

Brand Positioning refers to finding a relevant – and available – position in the customer’s mind. A position isn’t property of a brand, but lingers in the brain of the consumer.

Prosperous brand positions fit tightly with the product’s benefits and consumer’s motivation, and haven’t been taken yet. ’Me too’-brands seldom capture a strong position (Carson, Jewell & Joiner, 2007).

The Positioning Identifier aims to localize vacant yet fruitful brand territory.

Scale: Large
Purpose: Decision aid
Area: Marketing

Research Set-up

Since positioning poses such a big question, the research required to provide a profound answer is equally vast. It consists of two phases.

During the exploratory phase, all suitable brand positions will be listed. This is a structured process, scrutinizing the brand through each of four positioning dimensions: product features, consumer motivation, identity and target market.

During the subsequent research phase, we will utilize implicit research methods to answer a question that, until recently, was unanswerable: which of these positions is truly available? We measure the associative strength of the currently competitive brands with the listed positions.

What's next?

The Positioning Identifier provides a scientifically founded answer to the question which brand positions are obtainable. The research report plots the answer in a neat matrix, quantifying which positions are currently owned in the marketplace.

We need to stress here that an available brand position is no guarantee for success. For this reason, the Positioning Identifier is often followed by additional research concerning the fruitfulness of a particular position. These specific tests uncover the associative strength between the position and the factors that ultimately guide purchasing behavior, such as self-associations, goal-associations and global evaluations.