Part 2 in our silver anniversary unstuck series
UNSTUCK 2.0: The Pressing Problems With Positioning
“What’s your unique brand position?”
It’s a question that’s so elemental to any marketing discussion that it’s a cliche. But sometimes cliches exist for a reason, and in advertising, positioning is everything.
But doing effective positioning work can be…uncomfortable. Because positioning isn’t just about what a brand does well, it’s how you do it differently than everybody else. And that can be tough.
In The 22 Laws of Marketing – the single best marketing book I’ve ever read (and shortest, to boot) – Al Reiss and Jack Trout spend a lot of quality time on positioning, and even though the book dates back to my sophomore year of college, it still connects with bold, simple truths.
One lesson that weaves its way through the book is the idea that “better” – in and of itself – isn’t always a winning position. In fact, being first in a category – or creating a fresh way to be first – almost always wins. Colas? Coke. Batteries? Duracell. Streaming? Netflix. Performance coolers? YETI. Better doesn’t always win.
But that’s a tough lesson to embrace, because we want branding to be a meritocracy. We think better should win, and most brands see themselves (rightly or wrongly) as “better” than their competitors. So, naturally, they want to claim “better” as their position. They want to claim the category, even if another brand has already laid stake to that claim.
That’s when it’s probably time to look around and see what seats are already taken and where there’s some white space, because unseating a brand leader is pretty thorny business.
Instead, identify on different – how a brand can represent a fresh choice or a new promise your audience hadn’t fully considered before. In other words, don’t try and out-Hertz Hertz, focus on “Trying Harder” like Avis.
But how do you get there? There is no A to B map, but here are three lessons that have worked for us well in the quest for the perfect positioning.
Lesson 1: Take an honest look around
This can be harder than it sounds. No one likes to admit when their brand has faults or when the competition has a leg up. The key is to get out of your own head and leave your prejudices at the door. How? Ask actual users. They’ll tell you the good, bad, and ugly about your brand (you just have to listen). And it doesn’t have to be a months-long research project – simple surveys or even friends-and-family research can point you in the right direction.
If you can’t get real user insights, get someone or something to help you get out of your own head to at least think like a user. We have all kinds of exercises designed to get brand leaders thinking more objectively and more abstractly. One favorite is called “Tell Uncle Larry”, an exercise where you explain your brand to your sweet – but mentally a little thick – Uncle Larry. It forces you to think of your brand in the simplest of terms and how to explain competitive differences clearly.
Once you have that honest reflection done, you can plot your strengths against competitors to see where your brand fits in the grand scheme of things.
Lesson 2: Find white space, embrace the shift
Sometimes, after completing step one, things are still a little murky, or worse, a bunch of competitors end up clustered together on one piece of positioning real estate. That’s when you have to make the tough choice to shift – to focus on something no one else is focused on. In some cases, the position shifts are obvious. GEICO looked at the confusing and annoying insurance market and simply told customers “we’ll do it for less.”
Other times, the differences take looking at things from a new perspective. Amelia Earhart couldn’t be the first trans-Atlantic solo pilot, but she could definitely be the first solo female pilot. It’s like Reis and Trout said – if you can’t be first, create a category you can be first in.
Lesson 3: You can’t fear the pivot
Shifting positions doesn’t have to mean a complete brand overhaul; it can be more about emphasis or tone. For Georgia Natural Gas (GNG), we saw that the market was crowded with brands that were trying to “entertain” customers with cutesy mascots and “fun-filled” spots. Users told us they didn’t care that much about natural gas, they just wanted gas service and pricing to be simple. So we zigged where others zagged and went all-in on “Simple” as a position, it’s helped grow market share year after year since launch.
Pivots work as long as you’re clear, committed, and meeting a real user need.
The bottom line
If you can be first, be first. If you can’t, all is not lost. Just take a look around and find a way to be first or different in an exciting new way (just like Ms. Earhart). With some wide-eyed curiosity, introspection, and courage, any brand can find their perfect positioning.
