Developing Brand Identity & Positioning
I read a great article by Jack Trout today over at Branding Strategy Insider (click here) about the importance of positioning. Here’s an excerpt:
Many contemporary marketers believe that positioning is now outdated. In fact, McDonald?s chief global marketing officer Larry light said: ?Identifying one brand position, communicating it in a repetitive manner is old-fashioned, out of date, out of touch.? What is your response?
I had a big fight with Larry light and I wrote several counter articles. Larry Light doesn?t know what he is talking about. He has jumped up and said positioning is obsolete. The problem with Larry light is that he has not been able to understand positioning. He never has. I know Larry. And I told Larry that he has not been able to do a good job of positioning accounts. So I told him here is your deal: ?if you want the answer to what you are, I will give it to you.? I said, in essence, here is your (McDonald?s) positioning. You are the ?world?s favorite place to eat?. That?s your concept. That is it. That is a leadership position. And that?s a very powerful idea. And I published that idea. But I know he won?t use it because I wrote it. That?s why I gave it to him. I think Larry has no clue to what positioning is all about.
Click over to read the rest of the article, good stuff!
![[del.icio.us]](http://images.del.icio.us/static/img/delicious.small.gif){kind=small}
May 13th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
I actually see both sides of the arguement… and it sounded like a doozy. In favor of Larry’s position, one message, repetively communicated over time, does lose a ring, a buzz and hence consumers lose the freshness of the message. BUT, I do agree with your premises, that one message is it….and it sticks. Like Campbell Soup “Mmm Good!”
Perhaps a hybrid, one message, communicated with a different tone every so often. Let it stick for a while, then keep the same message, but find a way to keep it fresh.
PS: You are right, Larry can’t use that and many companies cannot use marketing ideas generated by a third party.
May 13th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Good story, thank you for sharing with us!
May 14th, 2008 at 7:44 am
Well…. i guess its because the different customer segments are merging…. so now it has actually became difficult for the companies to clearly position their products…