What is Brand Positioning Strategy in PR?

How do you view a company such as Starbucks compared to Dunkin’ Donuts? Does one hold a higher position in your mind because you believe they offer better benefits or advantages? This is referred to as brand positioning.

When developing a PR strategy for a client, it is important to consider how your client wants to be positioned among its potential customers. Some things to consider:

• Who is the target market and what are their preferred attributes?
• What are your company’s key attributes?
• What do consumers know about your brand? What about your competitor?

With this information in mind, you can begin to create your brand’s positioning statement.

There are a variety of brand positioning options to consider:

• All-inclusive umbrella approach. This positioning strategy describes the universal benefit of your brand. A good example is Campbell Soup – the iconic brand focuses on all its soup products, rather than one type in particular.  This is a good approach because you are well-known in your industry.
• Perhaps you want to emphasize the exclusivity of your brand. Premier positioning showcases why a consumer would choose one brand over another. Take for instance L’Oréal’s positioning statement, “Because you’re worth it.”
• Positioning against competition may be beneficial as many consumers place value on the company before the specific product.
• Next, as seen with Bounty’s slogan, “the quicker picker upper,” the brand focuses on the key attributes of its product. Finding key attributes of how you fit into your consumer’s lives such as reliability, convenience, quality, and more, may be beneficial to create brand loyalty.
• Lastly, if all else fails, repositioning may be the answer. As seen with many brands such as Chevy, Apple, and more, strategically changing the identity or image of the brand may be what you need to boost activity, increase brand loyalty, and promote your client in ways that fit the brand and its consumers best.

When using brand positioning in PR, you are striving to maintain and build relationships with consumers to create brand loyalty.

Want to establish positioning and an approach fit for your brand? Contact HMA!