Market and brand-oriented schools of positioning

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to revise the concept of positioning to differentiate between fundamental approaches to it and chart a scheme of schools of positioning. Design/methodology/approach – An extensive literature review traces the roots and evolution of the concept. Two approaches to positioning are explored and related to the paradigms of market and brand orientation. Based on current theory and practice, different schools of positioning are identified and categorized along a market- and brand-orientation spectrum. Metaphors differentiate schools of positioning, illustrated by case examples. Findings – Positioning is a key concept in marketing, branding and strategy. However, its theoretical and practical usefulness is in peril due to its many meanings, applications and overall vagueness. There is a need for a theoretical overview of positioning, which the literature currently lacks. Two approaches to define a brand’s position are identified and introduced: market- and brand-oriented positioning. Five principal schools of positioning show how these are different and why differentiating between them matters. The choice of school implies the market- and/or brand-oriented approach to positioning. Research limitations/implications – Further empirical case-based research might investigate when, what and how different positioning schools are applied in practice. The brief cases in this paper indicate a dynamic over time regarding the applications of the brand- and market-oriented school of positioning. An in-depth theoretical and practical investigation of the dynamics of positions would be of value for the research field. Practical implications – The distinction among different schools of thought helps bridge the gap between the theory and practice of positioning. A specific positioning objective can guide management in the selection of a particular school of positioning, which enables management to make more insightful conscious choices regarding its opportunities, limitations and consequences. Social implications – Position and positioning is of relevance in society in broad terms, e.g. in sports, politics and culture. Positioning strategy is discussed and implemented in different industries (business-to-business and consumer), for all kinds of brands (including, for instance, corporate brands) and for “brands” in the very widest sense (such as places or people). Originality/value – This paper relates positioning to the fundamental discussion of brand and market orientation. It integrates positioning research and provides a structured overview of the concept.

Formulation of Marketing Communication Strategy and its Implementation in State Senior High School 10 Malang (Leadership Academy)

“…Communications products applied by SMAN 10 Malang offers achievement and facilities. As the research findings conducted [7], they concluded that positioning is a key concept in marketing, branding and strategy. This is supported by Kotler & Armstrong [8] which states that a good product is a product that is capable of describing himself as a salesman silence.Communication price set by SMAN 10 Malang relatively expensive for high school education.Communication presented a SMAN 10 Malang observed by researchers through observation showed that building visual store merchandising as claimed by Kotler & Armstrong [8], which are the devices to symbolize the typical school in accordance with the Leadership Academy program.SMAN 10 Malang is located at Jl.…”

The Moderating Role of Market Mavens in Explaining the Impact of Brand Positioning Strategies on Brand Love

“…Kapferer (2012) coined the phrase "brand as product", with the logic being that one cannot choose to ignore the brand as it is an integral part of the product, and also one cannot ignore the ability of brand positioning strategies to create a personal and perhaps powerful consumer-brand bond. Urde and Koch (2014) define "brand positioning as an inside-out approach that defines and implements an intended position with brand perception as its point of departure and continuing frame of reference". Dwelling further, brand positioning refers to "a consumer level perception of the brand and is based on the subjective attributes and images the consumers have about the brand in their memory structure".…”

“…Dwelling further, brand positioning refers to "a consumer level perception of the brand and is based on the subjective attributes and images the consumers have about the brand in their memory structure". There are various ways of enveloping consumer response and one of them is to adopt an inside-out approach (Urde & Koch, 2014), and the second way is the adoption of an external, outsidein approach, which implies that and individual relies on the attributes of market mavens to gather valuable market information.…”

Posicionamento De Marca: Estudo De Casos Em Instituições Comunitárias De Ensino Superior

“…O posicionamento de marca tem sido definido como projetar determinada marca/serviço na mente do público-alvo, buscando ocupar um lugar distintivo (Ries & Trout, 1982;Kotler, Keller & Lu, 2009 (Urde & Koch, 2014;Lazarin & Slongo, 2015). Em geral, nos mercados de serviços há grande quantidade de competidores, diferentes tipos de ofertas de serviços e reduzidas barreiras para novos entrantes (Fitzsimmons & Fitzsimmons, 2014).…”