{"id":3197,"date":"2016-11-04T17:08:45","date_gmt":"2016-11-04T17:08:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/?p=3197"},"modified":"2022-03-09T21:00:12","modified_gmt":"2022-03-09T21:00:12","slug":"brand-positioning-definition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/2016\/11\/brand-positioning-definition\/","title":{"rendered":"A Simple Definition of Brand Positioning"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you&#8217;re a marketer or an entrepreneur, you&#8217;ve probably heard about the concept of <em>brand positioning<\/em>. But if you feel like this concept remains too abstract and unclear, then this article is for you!<\/p>\n<p>Today I&#8217;m going to define the concept with simple words and show you how to use it to create a powerful brand.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_76 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/2016\/11\/brand-positioning-definition\/#Brand_positioning_%E2%80%93_a_simple_definition\" >Brand positioning &#8211; a simple definition:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/2016\/11\/brand-positioning-definition\/#Why_is_brand_positioning_important\" >Why is brand positioning important?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/2016\/11\/brand-positioning-definition\/#How_to_find_a_powerful_brand_positioning_3_simple_steps\" >How to find a powerful brand positioning (3 simple steps)?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/2016\/11\/brand-positioning-definition\/#Example\" >Example<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Brand_positioning_%E2%80%93_a_simple_definition\"><\/span>Brand positioning &#8211; a simple definition:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Brand positioning has been defined by Kotler as \u201cthe act of designing the company\u2019s offering and image to occupy a distinctive place in the mind of the target market\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, brand positioning describes how a brand is different from its competitors and where, or how, it sits in customers\u2019 minds. A brand positioning strategy, therefore, involves creating brand associations in customers\u2019 minds to make them perceive the brand in a specific way.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/brand_positioning.jpeg\" alt=\"brand_positioning\" width=\"518\" height=\"345\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/brand_positioning.jpeg 518w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/brand_positioning-300x200.jpeg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/brand_positioning-380x253.jpeg 380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 518px) 100vw, 518px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_is_brand_positioning_important\"><\/span>Why is brand positioning important?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>By shaping consumer preferences, brand positioning strategies are directly linked to consumer loyalty, consumer-based <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/2021\/02\/brand-equity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">brand equity<\/a>, and the willingness to purchase the brand. Effective brand positioning can be referred as the extent to which a brand is perceived as favorable, different and credible in consumers\u2019 minds.<\/p>\n<div class=\"thebr-posts-end-2\" style=\"text-align: center;\" id=\"thebr-3855457941\"><a class=\"advanced-image\" href=\"https:\/\/edu.thebrandingjournal.com\/brand-improvement-mini-course?utm_source=website&#038;utm_medium=banner&#038;utm_campaign=mini_course_articles&#038;utm_content=green\" data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" rel=\"noopener\">\r\n    <picture>\r\n        <source media=\"(max-width: 991px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Mini-Course-Green-300x250-1.png\" type=\"image\/png\"\/>\r\n        <source media=\"(min-width: 992px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Mini-Course-Green-600x300-1.png\" type=\"image\/png\"\/>\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"banner\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Mini-Course-Green-600x300-1.png\" alt=\"mini-course image\"\/>\r\n    <\/picture>\r\n<\/a>\r\n<\/div><h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_find_a_powerful_brand_positioning_3_simple_steps\"><\/span>How to find a powerful brand positioning (3 simple steps)?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Step 1:\u00a0<\/span>In order to create a unique and successful positioning for your brand, you need to analyze the following:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Understand what your\u00a0<strong>consumers <\/strong>want<\/li>\n<li>Understand what your company\u2019s and brand <strong>capabilities<\/strong> are<\/li>\n<li>Understand how each <strong>competitor<\/strong> is positioning their brand<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Step 2:<\/span> Once you\u2019ve done that, you will need to choose a positioning statement that:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Will resonate with your <strong>consumers<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Can be delivered by your company (<strong>capabilities)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>That is different from your <strong>competitors<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>An easy way to define a brand positioning statement is to summarize it in three words. For example, \u201cvegan, traditional &amp; feminine\u201d. Try not to choose generic words such as \u201cquality-products, unique, successful\u201d because this is the aim of every brand.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Step 3:<\/span> The remaining challenge is to then reflect this brand positioning in everything that you do (brand personality, packaging design, product, service, visual identity design, communications, etc).<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Example\"><\/span>Example<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A great example of a powerful brand positioning is the one of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/2014\/05\/yellow-tail-clever-product-positioning-within-american-wine-industry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Australian Yellow Tail Wines<\/a>. Their objective was to enter the US market and to be perceived very differently from the vast majority of wine brands, which all sell complicated products with sophisticated and hard-to-understand wine terminology. Yellow Tail focused their positioning strategy on being perceived as<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201capproachable, easy-to-choose, and fun\u201d.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This is how they achieved this brand positioning:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The product:<\/strong> Yellow Tail developed a wine that is soft and sweet in taste and as approachable as beer and ready-to-drink cocktails. It resulted in an easy-drinking wine that did not require years of experience to develop an appreciation for it.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The name:<\/strong> A fun and adventurous name that represents the tail of a Kangaroo (as a reference to the Australian origins).<\/li>\n<li><strong>The visual identity:<\/strong> Designing a fun, colorful, and unintimidating packaging design without complicated enological terms.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The communication strategy:<\/strong> Focusing their communication on in-store activities with the brand ambassador that helped the product to be perceived as approachable and funny\/down-to-earth ads.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The price:<\/strong> Offering a price of less than $10 to fit be perceived as \u201capproachable\u201d and being used at every festive occasion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3198\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/yellowtail_brand_positioning_the_branding_journal.jpg\" alt=\"yellowtail_brand_positioning_the_branding_journal\" width=\"605\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/yellowtail_brand_positioning_the_branding_journal.jpg 605w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/yellowtail_brand_positioning_the_branding_journal-282x300.jpg 282w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/yellowtail_brand_positioning_the_branding_journal-380x404.jpg 380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>Did this article help you understand the meaning of brand positioning? Do you know other brands that excelled at finding a great brand positioning?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>References (academic sources):\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n&#8211; Kotler, P., 2003. <em>Marketing Management. <\/em>11th ed. Englewoods Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.<br \/>\n&#8211; Fuchs, C. &amp; Diamantopoulos, A., 2010. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Brand-Positioning Strategies from a Consumer Perspective. <em>European Journal of Marketing, <\/em>44(11\/12), pp. 1763-1786.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/branding-resources\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-3857\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/The_Branding_Journal_Checklist_Thin_Banner.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1217\" height=\"211\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/The_Branding_Journal_Checklist_Thin_Banner.jpg 1217w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/The_Branding_Journal_Checklist_Thin_Banner-300x52.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/The_Branding_Journal_Checklist_Thin_Banner-1024x178.jpg 1024w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/The_Branding_Journal_Checklist_Thin_Banner-768x133.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/The_Branding_Journal_Checklist_Thin_Banner-380x66.jpg 380w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/The_Branding_Journal_Checklist_Thin_Banner-800x139.jpg 800w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/The_Branding_Journal_Checklist_Thin_Banner-1160x201.jpg 1160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1217px) 100vw, 1217px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you&#8217;re a marketer or an entrepreneur, you&#8217;ve probably heard about the concept of brand positioning. But if&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5606,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"A Simple Definition Of Brand Positioning | The Branding Journal","_seopress_titles_desc":"What is the role of a clear brand positioning within your branding strategy? Here is a definition of the concept with simple words.","_seopress_robots_index":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[58,416],"tags":[701,702,413],"ppma_author":[742],"class_list":{"0":"post-3197","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brand-positioning","8":"category-branding-concepts","9":"tag-brand-positioning","10":"tag-branding-concepts","11":"tag-definition","12":"cs-entry","13":"cs-video-wrap"},"authors":[{"term_id":742,"user_id":2,"is_guest":0,"slug":"marion","display_name":"Marion Andrivet","avatar_url":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Marion.jpg","author_category":"","first_name":"Marion","last_name":"Andrivet","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":"Marion is the founder of The Branding Journal. Holding a B.Sc. in International Business and an M.Sc. in Marketing, her career has included coordinating marketing campaigns for major brands such as L'Or\u00e9al Paris, Nestl\u00e9, and Mastercard. She has also led strategic partnerships and fundraising for the International Federation of the Red Cross in the Americas."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3197"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8449,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3197\/revisions\/8449"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3197"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebrandingjournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=3197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}