the 5 key elements of? brand positioning

Hello, I am Kathy Guzmán Galloway! ?I'm The Clarity Wizard ? and I’m on a mission to help people accomplish their greatest goals by helping them see things more clearly.??I help brand owners increase revenue and decrease risk with brand positioning optimization. ????I provide consulting and coaching for mid-to-large size brands ready to be BIG-size brands.??I am a professional speaker and educator on Brand Fundamentals for those eager to learn.????Follow #PositioningClaritywithKathy and let’s connect!

Nailing an optimal brand positioning is a critical part of taking your CPG brand to the next level.?

In actuality, it’s relatively “easy” to find early success with a CPG brand.? A beautiful package, a good tasting or well performing product, the right price – the sales will come.? I’ve seen it many, many, many times.? However, truly pushing up and above competitors to grab a consumer’s attention, motivate a behavior change, and build a lifelong connection takes a lot more than that. And brand positioning is unquestionably the starting point to unlocking that kind of success.?

What is Brand Positioning??

Brand positioning is the articulation of the unique space a brand owns in a consumer’s mind.

It is easy to describe, and, on paper, appears so simple.? How deceiving!?

To get to a powerful positioning statement, you’ll have to nail 5 key elements.? These specific and distinct combination of elements are the foundational structure of Brand Positioning.? Without a crystal clear articulation of each - individually and explicitly - your Brand Positioning will be muddled, unclear, and terribly ineffective.? Since Brand Positioning influences everything else in your business, getting it right is the ultimate strategic investment.?

the 5 key elements of brand positioning?

1. The Consumer

The first element of brand positioning is describing the consumer target as it relates to their experience in the category. What are their attitudes, beliefs, purchase drivers? What are the things about them demographically, psychographically, and beyond, that impacts how they engage with your category?? These points help us get a big picture view of this person and, in essence, setting the stage for why they’re in this category and why your brand will be the perfect solution for them.?

2.? The Pain Point

The second element is an articulation of their pain point.? This is entirely different than what is expressed in The Consumer.? The Pain Point is singularly focused on the problem that your brand is going to solve. There are three parts to the pain point: 1 - what are they looking for in the category (aka their need)?? 2 - what are they actually finding in the category (the status quo)? And 3 - what is causing their dissatisfaction in the solutions that exist today (the pain point itself)??

3. The Reasons to Believe

The Pain Point is the perfect set-up to what comes next: The Reasons to Believe, or RTBs. The RTBs articulate the specific things that your brand brings to the table. These are primarily (but not exclusively!) functional benefits that cover both the table stakes in the category as well as what differentiates your brand.? This is usually expressed in three distinct sentences. Some brands may only have two, other brands may have four. In more complicated categories, there may be 5 or 6. I prefer to force RTBs into 3 as it forces choice and prioritization.? However, no matter the number, The RTBs are very succinct and singular in message, describing the most important things your brand delivers as it relates to The Consumer and The Pain Point.?

4. The Brand Promise

Once you have articulated The RTBs, it is an easier path to number 4 - The Brand Promise. Don’t get me wrong - this takes work!? But The RTBs are a great starting point.??

Lifting what serves your Brand Positioning from The RTBs, your brand identity, your voice, your values, your brand story, and anything else that delivers meaning to The Consumer and value to The Pain Point is the foundation of the Brand Promise.? These are all synthesized and expressed in a five to ten word phrase – approximately!? It’s not a hard rule other than to use just enough words to get the job done.??

This Brand Promise - done well - is the perfect shorthand to explain what your consumer can always expect from your brand.? It becomes a very powerful tool!? I won’t lie - it can be quite difficult to get to it.? Even for the most experienced Brand Positioning experts like myself!? But once you get there, you will find that communicating about your brand is so much easier.?

5. The Emotion

Finally, number five is The Emotion. This articulates what emotion the consumer should experience at the end of having fully engaged with your brand and your product.? What is it that they are ultimately getting on an emotional level that they are not getting today?? This is typically expressed as a singular word, but if your consumer journey is more extensive than the average CPG product, you might find unique emotions at each point in the journey.?

If you build it (right), they will come!

Articulate these five areas of Brand Positioning distinctly, conclusively, and succinctly, and you will create the launching pad for meaningful consumer connection.? And that will bring consumers into your brand more effortlessly and efficiently, while also engaging them both functionally and emotionally.

Did you notice my emphasis on ‘articulate’?? Yeah, let’s put a pin in that!? ??

Learn something? Provoked a thought? Have a build? Tell me in the comments!

Till next time!

KGG

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Hello, I am Kathy Guzmán Galloway! ?I'm The Clarity Wizard ? and I’m on a mission to help people accomplish their greatest goals by helping them see things more clearly. ??I help brand owners increase revenue and decrease risk with brand positioning optimization. ????I provide consulting and coaching for mid-to-large size brands ready to be BIG-size brands.??I am a professional speaker and educator on Brand Fundamentals for those eager to learn.????Follow #PositioningClaritywithKathy and let’s connect!