How To Create A Positioning Statement

How do your customers perceive you?

Your positioning statment is how you “position” yourself in the mind of your consumer.


Have you noticed that you have a perception about a BMW, and that perception is a lot different than a Pinto? That was intentional.

BMW (The Ultimate Driving Machine) has intentionally positioned itself in your brain as a higher-end, powerful vehicle. Pinto has been positioned as a very cheap, compact (and prone to explosion) car.

BMW has been very careful in controlling their positioning, while Pinto was careless in safety resulting in lost control of their positioning. 

 

Why should you create a positioning statement?

You have control over how you brand yourself and that starts with your positioning.

Casual? Professional? Respectful? Irreverent? Quirky? Corporate?

  • Do you want to be known as the value brand who offers the best prices? Walmart
  • Or the upscale brand that offers higher quality products? Whole Foods
  • Do you want to be known as a cool, casual brand? Anthropologie
  • Or the polished, more refined brand? Bloomingdales

A great template for creating your positioning statement is this:

“For Your Target Market, Your Product Name is a Category Name which provides Main Benefit unlike Competitor which provides Competitor’s Main Benefit.”

If you can get clear on how you want your product positioned in the mind of your consumer, your marketing will become that much easier. If you want your branding to feel “casual” don’t use imagery that reflects “formal.” If you want your branding to feel “zen” don’t use bold bright colors like red or neon yellow.  

Imagery, tone, color, experience will all play in to how you are positioned in your customers mind. It starts with a good positioning statement.