Positioning Yourself Into the Mind of the Consumer

Central Theme: 

Let’s play a game. When I say “Golf”, and “San Francisco'' who do you think of? Were the first two people that popped in your mind Tiger Woods and the cast of Full House? I hope so. If so, how did I get this right? Let’s try this again. When I say "Sports", “Coffee”, and “Chocolate” what are the first three brands that come to mind? Personally, I think of Nike, Starbucks, and Hershey’s. More than likely you thought the same. It doesn't take a  rocket scientist to know how I guessed this. Everyone knows that these three brands are the most popular in what they do. But how? How is it that every time we think of a product, a certain brand comes to mind? It is almost like these brands planted a bug in the mass population and wired everyone to think of it. Well, as silly as it sounds, it is very close to that. The idea of “positioning” is the place a brand occupies in the consumer's mind. Positioning is a concept so deceptively simple, yet endlessly difficult. To be fair, Nike, Starbucks, and Hershey’s were the first in their leagues to produce such a place in our mind. Nike was the first running shoe, Starbucks the first chain coffee shop and Hershey’s one of the first chocolate candy bars. But, how about Adidas, Pete’s Coffee, and Kit-Kat? For the runner-ups, number two is just being the first to lose. The race they are in for first, might never see a gold medal in their life as a brand. It will be tremendously difficult to position their brands in our mind as head honcho. To be successful today, you have to know what is in the prospect’s mind. To be creative today is a different ballgame, however. It is becoming more and more difficult to create something that isn’t already in the mind of the consumer. The skeleton of positioning is to retie the connections that already exist. That is, not creating something new and different, but rather manipulating what is in the prospect’s mind. For as long as Nike, Starbucks and Hershey’s are thriving, they will always be number one in all of our minds, whether or not we support the brand. It’s not just about the race, however. There are many deciding factors in the game of “Positioning” that will be thoroughly covered. 

In the 1960s and ‘70s, advertising was a fun game to play, especially through the means of media. Back then, the most creative advertisements won. These advertisers are the pioneers of positioning and are the reason it is so hard to succeed in the business today. It wasn’t hard though, put a catchy slogan or notable celebrity on screen and people loved it. Whether or not the commercial had a message, it would work. Take Hertz, for example. They stuck OJ Simpson in a commercial running through an airport, which had nothing to do with renting cars and everyone loved it. Today, they are still the number one rental car firm. But, this day and age, in an over communicated society it has become a lot more difficult, if not impossible. As a defense against the mass influx of communication, the mind filters what it retains and what it doesn’t. “In general, the mind accepts only that which matches prior knowledge or experience” (6). So, that being said, it is almost impossible to change a made up mind. Whether the facts are right, the average person can not stand being told they are wrong. “Mind-changing is the road to advertising disaster” (7). So, how can we get our message across to the prospect’s mind? The bridge is unstable, but connected nonetheless. In communication, less is more. We have to let go of the ambiguities, and simplify the message in order to find a way into our prospect’s mind. 

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression” (15). For Nike, Starbucks, and Hershey’s, they made quite the first impression on us. In fact, they taught us the easiest way to get into a person’s mind is to be first. It is awfully hard to dislodge the company that is positioned first in a prospect’s mind. "‘It’s better to be first than it is to be better’ is by far the most powerful positioning idea" (22). By being first, you are building brand loyalty.  The product that has established a position first in the mind has a great advantage. The first brand to enter in the prospect’s mind gets twice the market share of the number two brand and twice again as much as the third brand. However, if you can’t be first in a category, make a new category and be first in that. For competitors that want to be first, they “must either dislodge the brand above or somehow relate its brand to the other company’s position” (37).  Simply put, our minds do not have any more room for the ‘new and different’ unless it relates to the old. Recall the last time you bought toothpaste. Again, recall the time before you bought toothpaste. Did the brand change? Probably not. Studies show we as consumers purchase the same brand as we did our previous purchase. The leading brands are more likely to be stocked on the shelves of stores. But, for brands like Colgate their worries are long term. Since, they practically own the word ‘cavity’, consumers will always flock to the brand that reminds us of the detrimental factors of not brushing our teeth. 

Critical Analysis: 

“What works for a leader doesn’t necessarily work for a follower” (65). Today, companies have to perform their utmost to compete with the ‘next guy’. But, firms still do not understand the number one goal. Customer satisfaction. Too many companies are focusing on improving a product, and now have no money to advertise to consumers, and in turn lose another race for first. If companies used their valuable time to reach its product to  consumers rather than improve it, they would notice a change in their strategies. Take the Snuggie for example. Probably the most useless invention ever. But, what did it do? Three things excellently. 1. It was the first robe/blanket product on the market. 2. They advertised incredibly well. 3. Their product was simple. By being one of the first robe/blanket hybrid it positioned itself in our minds. As humans, we make decisions based on emotion rather than rationality. So, to advertise families cuddled up in a Snuggie was genius because it inspired us to purchase one. Finally, the Snuggie was just so simple. It was not a crazy invention, leave alone innovative. But, it’s simplicity and subtleness appealed to all of us. It was a breath of relief especially experiencing the sensory overload of many of today’s products and their advertisements. For the next couple years it was released, Snuggie became more of a popular trend than it did a product. How about the Slanket though? Ever heard of it? Probably not. The Slanket is the Snuggie’s predecessor. Founded some years before the Snuggie, the Slanket was the original blanket with sleeves. After creating his first  blanket with sleeves in 1997, Gary Clegg waited almost eight years to fully commit to his brand. But, even then he still had time to position his brand first into people’s minds. But, if he knew now what he knew then, things would be much different. He knew how successful his company would be after giving products to family and friends as a test group for the product. So, he went to China looking for manufacturers and partnered with big-box stores to roll out the products that year. It seemed everything was going well for him. But, he was doing one thing wrong.  Nowhere in this Cinderella story did Gary Clegg position his brand in any consumer’s mind. The time spent to get prospective consumer’s to know your brand is far more effective than producing the Slanket itself. Gary Clegg  focused on the product and logistics too much. It wasn’t long until the Slanket saw itself in the shadow of the  Snuggie. In 2008, the first commercial for Snuggie was released to the public. Before long, the Snuggie beat Gary Clegg and the Slanket to big-box stores and took his business. But, more importantly, the Snuggie beat them first to the consumers mind. The Slanket was produced years before the Snuggie, but they failed at one thing. The race to position themselves as the first blanket with sleeves. Today, Gary Clegg is still rolling out the Slanket, claiming  the Snuggie didn’t necessarily hurt their business. But, rather took their potential business from consumers and big box stores. So, that leads to the question how they have stayed so competitive? Fortunately, Gary Clegg’s mistake did not crush his dream. Compared to the Snuggie, Slanket thinks globally. They work with other countries such as  Japan, Italy, Germany, Spain and the U.K. In fact, in the United Kingdom the Slanket is the equivalent of the Snuggie in the United States. Everyone there loves it. This taught me that even if you fail in one category (United States) be number one in other categories (United Kingdom). Gary Clegg knew what he was doing positioning his brand to the country across the pond. But, Mr. Clegg’s mistake cost him a position of being first, and the gap between the Slanket and Snuggie in the consumer’s mind is quite large.  

When was the last time you drank carbonated water? How did you feel after taking those first few sips? Do not ask me why, but people tie carbonated water with sophistication. Now, let’s take into consideration the immense popularity spiked seltzers have received in the last two years. Before I begin, a brief overview. There are three major spiked seltzers that compete with each other. White Claw, which is owned by Mike’s Hard Lemonade. It’s direct competitors are Bon & Viv and Truly. Both are owned by other big alcoholic companies. One thing to point out here is they did not just give their products a line-extension name. “Mike’s Hard Lemonade Spiked Seltzer” is just plain ugly and would not work. Besides, Mike’s Hard was so 2012 that nobody would want to buy their product anyway. These companies saw the inclining trend of carbonated water with La Croix and other brands. But, they knew an alcohol company could not compete with a water company. So, they strived in a different category in the same league, Spiked Seltzers. To be fair, they all taste the same, but White Claws have made such an impression, that they lead their industry. Why is that? For one, their slogan is “made pure”  which incites us to believe that the ingredients of White Claw won’t make us feel bloated like beer, or hurt the next  morning like liquor. The truth is, alcohol is alcohol and that will never be the case. Another great example is it’s extensive use of advertising to the young crowd. With YouTube Ads, unlicensed merchandise, and a phrase that reminds us young folk of the cultural touchstone of summer 2019. “Ain’t no laws when you are drinking claws.”  What screams your young twenties more than drinking and not following the rules? It’s social media presence as well connected with the young crowd with all of the memes, paid promotions and brand loyalty it was seeing. But, White Claws are special for one particular reason. It’s simple. It’s just water that tastes like a hint of fruit. “You taste what you expect to taste'' (34). But, can’t you say the same thing about Bon & Viv and Truly? Indeed, but when I say simple I mean it. Truly boasts 13 different flavors of it’s spiked seltzers. White Claw? Only five. It doesn’t give the consumer any time to overthink it’s product because it is already simple enough.

Main Takeaways: 

So what and now what? What can I do now that will best apply my knowledge? Be the first in the consumer’s mind. Easier said than done, but possible with the right strategies and timing. As a business major, I have now challenged my own beliefs of how firms should be conducted. Flipping the prospect’s mind inside out is what’s most important. A solution to a business or firm is in the mind of a consumer. From there can you only work backwards. There are five main takeaways Positioning has offered me. First and foremost, being the first in any category is key. Being the first to a prospect’s mind has a huge advantage. By being  at the top of a ladder, it will be hard to dislodge you and your company. Think of Apple versus Samsung, the North Face and Columbia, or the Los Angeles Lakers versus the Los Angeles Clippers. So, it is important to jump on new opportunities or categories that might help your company even more. Which leads me to my next main takeaway. “If  you’re not first, create your own ladder.” If someone beat you to the gun in your industry, think how you can beat them in a different category. Essentially creating your own category. Most North Atlantic passengers flew to the United Kingdom, Germany and France. Belgium on the bottom of the list, got no attention. So, what Sabena Airlines did was make sure they were the best airline to Belgium. The goal here isn’t to go one on-one with the competitor, but rather be the leader in your own category. Besides, being more selective in your  marketing can incredibly influence and boost your growth unpredictability. My third takeaway is echoing what is already in the prospect’s minds. Does your company believe it is the best at making its products efficiently, but your consumers believe you are the best at providing customer service? Keep pushing what is already in the mind of your consumer. My fourth takeaway is the power of the name. “In the past when there were fewer products, when the volume of communication was lower, the name wasn’t nearly as important” (90). It is important to choose a name that tells the consumer what they will benefit after purchasing an item. Some great examples of this are Head and Shoulders shampoo, Intensive Care skin lotion, or Snuggie. These products do the positioning process for themselves, that is informing the consumer of it’s benefits. “A name should not go ‘over the edge’. That is, become so close to the product itself that it becomes generic, a general name for all products rather than a trade name for a specific brand” (90). A prime example of this is the Slanket. Compared to the Snuggie, what is the difference? The Slanket tells you  what it is, the Snuggie tells you what you will benefit. Another reason the Slanket didn’t prosper. Although line extension may work for some products, it usually doesn’t. Which leads me to my fifth and final main takeaway of  “Positioning”. A great example of this is “Natural Light” the beer product. Recently, they introduced “Natural Light  Seltzer” to compete with Truly, White Claw, and Bon & Viv. To be frank, this hasn’t worked out for them for the  obvious reason — line extension. It is near impossible for a product to hold two ladders in the prospect’s mind.  Natural Light should stick to being a cheap beer or create a new name for its seltzer’s. Companies today straddle the fine line of being over simplified and being over done. The solution? It is deceptively simple, and endlessly hard, positioning. “If you ain’t first, you’re last” - Ricky Bobby.