What are the most effective practices for brand positioning analysis?

The first question when it comes to brands and their positioning 1 Why are you doing what you're doing? 2 What does your brand deliver on? 3 How does it do it? The visual and messaging come after you can answer these questions. Then the fun starts!

In often times brand define positioning goals as a form of status that the brand wants to be positioned, i.e. luxurious, mass. However, one should really link to how the position of the brand will work with their BUSINESS plans! A brand positioning is more than just where the brand is being positioned, it is also about how the brand, after being positioned at a level, could lead to the success of the business objectives, in the long run.

I usually recommend beginning by clarifying the specific objectives of your brand positioning analysis, such as increasing market share, targeting a new audience, or differentiating from competitors. Align these goals with measurable KPIs and ensure a thorough understanding of your target market and competitive landscape to inform the analysis effectively.

Understanding the reasons behind your craft is crucial. Know where you want to go and who you want to be. Think about the impact your name has on others. Sell dreams and bring joy. Show your values and make a positive impact. Have a guiding North Star. Stay focused and pursue your aspirations.

Assess your current brand positioning. Before you can improve your brand positioning, you need to understand your current situation. You can start by defining your - Target audience - Your brand purpose - Your brand values - Your brand differentiation You can also evaluate your brand positioning based on some criteria, such as uniqueness, sustainability, relevance, credibility, and consistency.

Conducting primary research is the best way in my experience. For sure it takes time and will cost a bit, but it allows the brand to touch on different aspects in a fair way to learn about not only their positioning, but also what their brand represents, what is on the customers' minds for the brand, and what could be the potential development direction, which adds supreme value since that's what the company needs to learn - from their customers!

One of the under utilized ways to research your market/competitors is checking out their social media channels and reviews. You can get an idea of what they do well but more importantly what their pitfalls are.

Start by identifying your target audience and understanding their needs, preferences, and behaviours. Conduct thorough competitor analysis to grasp the competitive landscape. Utilize a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, such as surveys, interviews, and data analysis, to gather insights. Stay updated on industry trends and leverage both primary and secondary sources for a comprehensive understanding of your market dynamics.

Engage in conversation with like-minded individuals. Inquire about desires, needs, thoughts, and opinions. Consider different perspectives. Explore options and evaluate suitability. Assess product or service features, strengths, and weaknesses. Seek advice from friends. Make a list of pros and cons. Analyse details. Use online platforms for discussions and gathering insights. Consider customer needs. Be well-informed and provide the best service. Approach with a positive attitude and a desire to serve.

Market research and data analysis are extremely important these days. Get as much insights and data you can about the audience you are trying to communicate. Their age, psychographics, demographics, behavioral analysis, age brackets, buying patterns, interests, etc. Also, understand new markets if you are opening a new business or expanding. Every region is different with people having different buying habits.

Consider others' needs when choosing whom to help. Enjoy a vegan treat for a greener lifestyle. It brings joy and minimizes harm to the earth. Care for your health and the environment. When giving a gift, consider others' preferences and beliefs. Sell a short, concise message that proudly represents these values.

A positioning statement is the heart and soul of your marketing and branding. It is the core of your IMC (integrated marketing communication) that you follow to create a holistic year-round strategy for your brand. It reflects on literally every touch point, be it digital, conventional, PR, or any other form of communication.

Write it for someone who doesn't work in marketing. Ideally a 5 year old, or 95 year old should be able to understand it. Kill all marketing, fluff language. Oh, and it should also have energy in it. People should read it, get it, nod along and feel it.

A positioning map. As it sounds, a positioning map is a four quadrant chart where you define the positive and negative sides of both X-axis and Y-axis. Some easy steps to do it: 1. Pick up 6-7 companies which you consider as close competitors or leaders in the category. 2. Write down their positioning/descriptions/tagline statements to get insight into what they position themselves as. 3. Basis the information collected, define the X and Y axis. For example: for a soap brand, the X-axis can be Rational and Emotional and Y-axis can be Inner Focus and Outer Focus. 4. Then start mapping all the shortlisted companies till the chart is full. In most cases, you find a whitespace which your brand can own with a distinct positioning.

It is very important to stick to your positioning across all sorts of conventional and digital mediums. That creates consistency in messaging and makes your brand look solid.

It's important to convey the brand that captures my attention and evokes emotions. Ask about my preferences, not just the reasons behind them. People choose their words carefully when expressing admiration. Triads of words are effective in conveying a message. Monitor the language used in newspapers, as it influences brand perception. Selling a product quickly means striking a chord with the audience. Stay true to the brand's essence to resonate with consumers. Assess the emotional impact and make adjustments. Create a captivating image that fulfils the brand's aspirations.

You shouldn't be fighting for scraps. A good positioning finds you in a position where you have some kind of advantage. Not 'more of the same'.

Once you have created your brand positioning statement, you need to put it into action. You need to ensure that your brand positioning is reflected in every aspect of your brand, such as your logo, your name, your slogan, your website, your social media, your packaging, your customer service, and your advertising.

A brand also requires a unified story that is consistent with their mission. When it comes to storytelling those points and branding efforts need to emotionally connect to the audience. People want to buy into a brand that is bigger than themselves.

There are two ways on communicating your positioning, either active or passive. In often times, we do active partnership and marketing without talking about positioning, yet those activities communicate itself and get into customers' heart, which is certainly a more persuasive and genuine way of positioning communication. Meanwhile, especially for luxury brands, you don't talk about how premium you are, but customers feel it among all touch points with the brand, making it more trustworthy as they could relate and echo with their own experiences.

Tell the whole big world who you are, what you see, feel, think, and smile. Pick an easy name that catches the eye and quickly tells what you do. Make your logo look like the first thought and the last thought. Find words that live in the heart and head, and that everyone can use. Sing the same song with actions, on the web, in conversations, and in all the ways you meet people. Check each part of your brand to make sure it points to the same North Star.

Often helps here to communicate what your positioning isn't. Use the cliches in market you're avoiding to communicate it. Use the norms you're subverting.

Perhaps any historian would confirm it: the answer for tomorrow's problems can most often be found in the past. Analyzing a brand's past, its successes and failures, its origins and its founders, is an often overlooked approach to reviving a brand. More often than not, the truth lies within.

The “most effective” brand analysis approach doesn’t exist. Unless you want to pay or believe in a cookie-cutter solution from YouTube. There is a complex interplay between brand, market, audience, and other elements we don’t control. The world we live in is in constant flux so analysis needs to mirror this ongoing motion as well. Brand analysis as a practice means that our assessment methods are never perfect and require lasting adjustment. The only constant of brand analysis is that it needs to be emergent.

1. Understanding your brand archetype so you know how to speak to your audience in their language would be hugely beneficial. 2. Embracing negative feedback and addressing these points head-on will build trust and authenticity to your brand.

Consider exploring emerging technologies and digital platforms to track online consumer behaviour. Engage with your audience through social media channels for real-time feedback. Regularly reassess your market research strategy to stay adaptable to evolving trends and consumer expectations. Collaborate with industry experts and stay informed about regulatory changes that may impact your market landscape.

Knowing when to invest in a positioning exercise is important too. It takes some time for people running a business to figure out what exactly the business is. If you're a brand new business, don't rush into "finalizing" your positioning. Play around a bit. Give yourself room to change things if needed. This is where consistently evaluating the positioning statement is important. If there's a gap between what you're saying (i.e., your comms) and how you're positioned, it's usually time to either consider changing your positioning or realigning your internal teams' vision with the positioning. TL;DR. Don't rush into getting a formalized 50-page deck done before you play with it a bit.