Brand Positioning

If your customer were to describe your brand in three words, what words would they choose? In Nike’s case, they might use terms such as ‘athletic, innovative, and basketball.’ For a competitor, such as Adidas, those three words might be ‘urban, lifestyle, and soccer’. These are two examples of two companies most widely recognized for the performance and attitude of their footwear and apparel products. Unquestionably, they are two companies that are regularly compared in the same breath. Yet these companies maintain very different positioning to often very different customers. And while many of us may own both brands, it is fairly safe to say that we likely have our preference for one reason or another.

In Brand Positioning efforts, we ask: How can we better understand the preferences of our customer and own a unique place in their lives? How can we build deeper meaning and alignment with our brand? How can we employ brand strategy to further our business goals? And most importantly: How is this positioning reflected in everything we produce, package and promote?

These are the key aspects of Brand Positioning and why staking out a claim to this desired position is critically important for the success of the brand.

Brand Positioning defined: Simply put, Brand Positioning serves as the central unifying idea to inform the work of teams across the organization. Internally, Brand Positioning answers the question: What makes us different? And further, it delves into what makes a brand favorable or credible. Within the market, Brand Positioning works to establish the unique brand impression that must clearly exist in the customer’s mind.

See also: Brand Positioning: A Guide to Staking Your Claim