The deliberate way a brand is framed to occupy a distinct and valuable place in the minds of its target audience.
Clear positioning explains who the brand serves, what it offers, and why it is different.
Short and sweet:
The deliberate way a brand is framed to occupy a distinct and valuable place in the minds of its target audience.
Clear positioning explains who the brand serves, what it offers, and why it is different.
See also: Positioning Statement, Value Proposition, Target Audience
Brand positioning defines the specific place a brand occupies in a customer’s mind relative to its competitors, built around a chosen combination of attributes, like being the most affordable, the most premium, or the most convenient option in a category. Unlike a positioning statement, which is the internal document capturing this decision, positioning itself is the actual perception that exists in the market once that strategy has been executed consistently over time. Because a brand can’t credibly claim to be everything to everyone, effective positioning usually means deliberately choosing not to compete on every possible dimension at once.
Volvo has maintained the same brand positioning around safety for more than 50 years, a single-minded focus that lets every ad and engineering decision reinforce the same idea.
Southwest Airlines built its whole identity around low fares and a no-frills, friendly experience, deliberately avoiding the premium, luxury lane that carriers like Delta compete in.
Apple’s place in the market centers on simplicity and design, letting it charge premium prices while competitors like Samsung compete more on raw specs and features.
