In brand positioning studies, it is tempting to concentrate solely on your brand in the market place. This poses a good deal of risk and lost opportunity.
To be most helpful, brand positioning research needs to be a clear eyed view of the entire market place; its consumers (including their wants and unmet needs) and their perceptions of how your brand and the competitors fit. In short, you need to understand the context in which your brand exists by asking the following questions:
- How does your brand stack up in the market?
- What are your brand's unique advantages and weaknesses?
- What are the barriers to use or increased use?
- In what situations is it used?
- What are the most frequent and loyal users?
- Who are the most likely to be brought to your brand?
The same level of treatment/concern needs to be given to your competitors. This can be done with very clear thinking and design and then some sophisticated data analysis including perceptual mapping, driver analysis and segmentation.
At RDR, we specialize in clear thinking and providing decisions makers with insights that are actionable.
