Still the same. The power of a consistent brand positioning strategy.

Posted on | March 10, 2010

Sometimes we have the luxury of starting from scratch. We’re in the process of working with a new client on a new product launch, and I was recently speaking with them about their positioning strategy. “This should be your elevator pitch in one sentence,” I advised. “Every piece of communications we develop, and every aspect of your product should evoke this. It should never change.”

Great brands never change their positioning. Basic advice, yet a premise far too often ignored, particularly in the volatility that comes with economic stress. Jack Pitney, VP of Marketing for BMW, spoke with Marketing Daily about BMW’s new “Joy” strategy. He commented while the work was about the end-user’s emotional benefit, joy, BMW’s positioning would remain exactly the same, superior engineering. He added that, while the brand was in need of new recession-appropriate messaging, they were not in any way abandoning “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” Read the full article here.

BMW’s strategy is so logical it seems obvious; however, the past year is littered with examples of brands that veered and failed. Take Saturn, a company born from the concept of rethinking people’s relationship with their car. The people who brought you “A different kind of car company,” altered course in an effort to grow. Their product moved from niche to mainstream with mid-sized sedans and SUV’s, and their core message meandered. In an economy that demands absolute clarity and message precision, the move proved fatal.

Another example is Saab. For forty years, Saab was about a unique body style that, well, wasn’t for everyone. This brand of individuality was summed up in their tag line: “Find your own road.” Acquired by GM, the product, like Saturn’s, lost its focus, and its cult following along with it. “Born from jets,” a heritage/performance positioning led to disaster. Let’s hope Saab’s new owners resurrect something from the crash.

Saab brand loyalists persist

Saab brand loyalists persist

Of course, the car companies merely provide a large scale, somewhat frightening example for us all. For a destination or restaurant, the recession may mandate discounting. That doesn’t mean a brand built on luxury, such as Hilton Head Island, needs to become the best beach value in South Carolina.

Examining your brand’s message is key, especially in the face of continued economic pressures and a slow recovery. Just don’t forget the basics, and keep what made you stand apart at the core of every message.

- Kevin Smith, Riggs Partners

Category: Uncategorized
New Economy Consumer Trends Localism

A rediscovery of, and intentional support of, all that is available where we live, work and play; an embracing of the diversity and options we hadn't noticed; a return to family (redefined); a focus on "home"

reducism

A distinct and intentional move away from excess, although not counter-cultural; the casting off of that which is superfluous; a focus on purity, essence; making-do, but with high standards for aesthetic design and functionality

Considerism

Supreme homage to value, redefined; every action an investment, whether time or money; the death of impulse / birth of comparative study; choice as a primary concept

D.I.Y.ism

Self-empowerment(!) creating a markedly different sense of control; an attraction to that which is experiential (and valuing the experience); creativity, renewed; the anti-immediate gratification movement

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