Writing a Brand Positioning Statement

1. Writing a Brand Positioning Statement MKT 3850 Dr. Don Roy

2. Why You Need a Positioning Statement • States how brand should be perceived by customers • Guides marketing communication strategy • Who to target • What to say • How to say it Short in length, great in importance!

3. Components of a Well-Constructed Positioning Statement • Definition of target market you wish to pursue • Definition of your company’s business • Statement of your point-of-difference provided by your brand • Statement of advantage or benefit the point of difference offers to the target market (the “so what”)

4. Positioning Statement Template “To ( target market), (brand) is the (definition of business) that provides you with (stated point of difference). (State payoff of benefit).”

5. Example: Mountain Dew Positioning Statement “To young, active soft-drink consumers who have little time for sleep, Mountain Dew is the soft drink that gives you more energy than any other brand because it has the highest level of caffeine. With Mountain Dew, you can stay alert and keep going even when you haven’t been able to get a good night’s sleep.” Source: Brian Sternthal and Alice M. Tybout (2001), “Brand Positioning,” in Kellogg on Marketing, D. Iacobucci, ed., New York: Wiley, pp. 31-57.

6. Your Turn • Return to the article about Little Caesar’s Pizza in Flipboard (True Blue IMC magazine) • Write a brand positioning statement for either Little Caesar’s or Papa John’s using the template for writing a brand positioning statement. • Target market • Brand name • Frame of reference (category, industry, product) • Point of difference • Advantage/benefit of the POD