Pacific Business Daily

What is product positioning? ?

What is product positioning? Give an example of how each of the four components of the marketing mix could be used to position a new minivan for the well educated, young, middle income family with two or more children.

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1. Product positioning is the platform a product occupies vis-a-vis its competing products. Positioning is the statement of intent of product, it tells us what the product will do for the consumers. For example Tide detergent powder is positioned on bringing incomparable whiteness - it makes clothes whiter than white. In that the marketer is basically stating that in a crowded market with multiple brands offering whiter/cleaner clothes Tide is and always will be a superior in cleaning the clothes. Positioning can be made on usage benefits, end results or price benefits which a consumer can get by buying the product. Positioning could also be a "me too" type - where the product is positioned as offering the same benefits as the leading product in the market Your example case question is incomplete bcoz it doesnt tell us what exactly the minivan is offering the TG (target group - in this case the well educated, young, middle income family with two or more children). Still i am generating a few options here Product options It is a superior minivan as compared to other minivans, in tht it cud offer better mileage, better space utilization, better child safety features, better performance, better safety, sturdy design, low maintenance etc. It could be offering one or multiple of the mentioned benefits Price It is the lowest priced product in the category of cars offering similar features It could be priced more than the competing brands bcoz the brand under which it is launched commands a certain premium in the market Place Whether it is available in select dealerships only or whether it can be bought at any good car dealer in the country Whether it offers a heavy duty service backup Promotion Informing the consumers (TG) about the exact position of the product. Making the consumers aware of it Making the consumer consider it when they are making their purchasing decision
2. In marketing, positioning has come to mean the process by which marketers try to create an image or identity in the minds of their target market for its product, brand, or organization. It is the 'relative competitive comparison' their product occupies in a given market as perceived by the target market. Re-positioning involves changing the identity of a product, relative to the identity of competing products, in the collective minds of the target market. De-positioning involves attempting to change the identity of competing products, relative to the identity of your own product, in the collective minds of the target market. The growth of high-tech marketing may have had much to do with the shift in definition towards competitive positioning. What most will agree on is that Positioning is something (perception) that happens in the minds of the target market. It is the aggregate perception the market has of a particular company, product or service in relation to their perceptions of the competitors in the same category. It will happen whether or not a company's management is proactive, reactive or passive about the on-going process of evolving a position. But a company can positively influence the perceptions through enlightened strategic actions.