例子—Example:

 

In 2010, the Reebok brand continued to execute its strategy, positioning itself as a premium sports and lifestyle brand focused on fitness and training. Based on its roots and heritage in fitness, Reebok has developed a roadmap for its key businesses going forward: Own Women’s Sport, Challenge in Men’s Sport, Revive Classics.

 

價格領先—PRICE LEADERSHIP

 

Low cost strategy is centered on the capability of the company to produce and deliver products of competitive quality at lower costs. It is much more than cost reduction initiatives that get lot of prominence in strategic planning and review session of any company as a means to improve the bottom line of a company by improving its efficiency. Some companies use their efficient cost structures to protect their markets from the competitors by responding to competitors’ move of making in-roads in the market space by reducing prices. Such reactive response may make a company predominantly inward focused.#p#分頁標題#e#

 

Better way to strategically position a company on the advantage of cost is to increase market share by transforming from lowest cost producer to lowest cost supplier of products. This way the company translates its cost advantage into price advantage for its customers and thereby improves the market share. The prospect of increasing the market share provides a great opportunity for the company to leverage the economies of scale coupled with the ruthless cost cutting measures it plans to execute. More the competitive space it occupies – which also means that more competitors eliminated – more effective are economies of scale and as a result the costs are driven still lower. When a company is able to transform the efforts of cost reduction into cost advantage for customers the company can be said to be successfully pursuing low cost leadership strategy.

 

例子—Example:

 

Wal-Mart is one company that continuously strives to reduce costs and in the market place it has got the image of supplier of products at the lowest prices. This is how Wal-Mart captures the markets and eliminates the competitors and improves revenues and market share. Economies of scale and efficiency form the core around which Wal-Mart executes its strategy. Companies pursuing cost leadership strategy compare each and every activity along their value chain with competitors and are committed to surpass them. Innovation in such companies is focused on process improvements (both incremental and quantum) rather than on products (new product development). In fact companies pursuing cost leadership strategy target mass markets with proven products.

 

產品屬性—ATTRIBUTES

 

More marketers rely on product/service features to differentiate their brands than any other method. Brand Attributes portray a company’s brand characteristics. They signify the basic nature of brand. Brand attributes are a bundle of features that highlight the physical and personality aspects of the brand. Attributes are developed through images, actions, or presumptions. Brand attributes help in creating brand identity.The advantage is that the message is clear, and the positioning will be credible if you stick to the facts about the product. Unfortunately, feature-orientated stances are often rendered useless if the competition comes out with a faster or more advanced model.

 

例子—Examples:

 

Ariel that offers a specific benefit of cleaning even the dirtiest of clothes because of the micro cleaning system in the product.

 

Colgate offers benefits of preventing cavity and fresh breath.

 

Promise, Balsara’s toothpaste, could break Colgate’s stronghold by being the first to claim that it contained clove, which differentiated it from the leader.#p#分頁標題#e#

 

Nirma offered the benefit of low price over Hindustan Lever’s Surf to become a success.

 

Maruti Suzuki offers benefits of maximum fuel efficiency and safety over its competitors. This strategy helped it to get 60% of the Indian automobile market.

 

產品等級—PRODUCT CLASS

 

Positioning by product class can be done if two products lie in the same product class. Thus by joint promotions, both of these products improve their positioning. Positioning by product class mainly uses sales promotion as it tool.

 

Example – Get a toothbrush with a tooth paste free. Both of these products lie in the same product class and hence can be positioned accordingly.

 

Once such a strategy is implemented, the brand of the company gains more recognition in the market and more and more people come to know the brand. Thus the toothbrush company would have a better positioning once it advertised itself in its own product class.

 

Similarly, an electronics product will be advertised with an electronics product, a FMCG with FMCG and a financial product with a financial product. That’s known as positioning by product class. This is also a part of sales promotions whereby the brand can increase its customer base. Several brands have changed their positioning only by changing the product class they were in.

 

例子—Examples:

 

Horlicks,which was into the medical sector and changed itself to the consumer segment.

 

Dove shampoo in the recent years have changed from strong to a mild shampoo mainly because they realized the consumption was more in this product class.

 

產品競爭者—COMPETITORS

 

In this type of positioning strategies, an implicit or explicit frame of reference is one or more competitors. In some cases, reference competitor(s) can be the dominant aspect of the positioning strategies of the firm, the firm either uses the same of similar positioning strategies as used by the competitors or the advertiser uses a new strategy taking the competitors’ strategy as the base.

 

例子—Examples:

 

A good example of this would be Colgate and Pepsodent. Colgate when entered into the market focused on to family protection , but when Pepsodent entered into the market with focus on 24 hour protection and basically for kids, Colgate changed its focus from family protection to kids teeth protection which was a positioning strategy adopted because of competition.

 

Onida was positioned against the giants in the television industry through this strategy, ONIDA colour TV was launched with the message that all others were clones and only Onida was the leader. “neighbour’s Envy, Owners Pride.#p#分頁標題#e#

 

場所—OCCASIONS

 

This kind of positioning stresses when or how your product is used by your target audience. Products can be positioned based on their 'usage occasion.'  This strategy entails creating an image for the brand that strongly suggests when the brand should be used.

 

例子—Example:

 

Gatorade is normally promoted as a sports drink for replenishing lost electrolytes after a hard workout. However, Gatorade has aired some ads that position the brand for use on other occasions. Some Gatorade ads promotes its use during cold and flu seasons as an aid in replenishing lost fluids due to illness. Other Gatorade ads have promoted its use during the summer to relieve thirst on those hot afternoons.

 

Jeep’s focus on off-road driving is an excellent example.

 

Wrigley’s gum is an alternative at times when smoking is not permitted.

 

產品使用者—USERS

 

Positioning a product by associating it with a particular user or group of users is yet another approach.When the positioning is on the basis of CONSUMER, the campaigns and messages are always targeted to the consumer himself (the user of the product)

 

例子—Examples:

 

Peter England always campaigns their product concentrating on the consumer, the user of its product.

 

Kellogg's has cornflakes for cereal users, weight- watchers and kids.

 

Microsoft products are for ordinary computer users, not technogeeks. The Microsoft brand enables people to leverage the power of computing to work better, have fun and fulfill their aspirations. Its advertising asks users, "Where do you want to go today?" The company is a giant, but a friendly giant, one that puts a high priority on being simple, contemporary, approachable, hip and even low-tech-as much as that attribute may seem counterintuitive in the context of a technology business.

 

產品質量—QUALITY

 

The quality of a given product is one of the most important components of a company brand, and can be combined with other positioning strategies rather easily. Since every business is trying to emphasize its commitment to quality, a good way to distinguish yourself from competitors is to narrow your focus to one area of expertise, thereby branding the company as a high-quality and trusted specialist. Perception of quality is probably one of the most important elements for a brand to have .Quality, or the perception of quality, lies in the mind of the buyer. Build a powerful perception of quality, and you will succeed in creating a powerful brand.#p#分頁標題#e#

 

例子—Example:

 

The best example of quality approach is premium automobile brands like BMW and Mercedes. They maintain their quality such that their customers are ready to give the highest pricing for the cars. Thus the quality positions the car to the topmost segment and also helps the company to increase its market share.