Brand Positioning Map
A brand map is a great way to understand where a brand fits into the marketplace. Brand maps aren’t made by the companies but rather drawn from customer feedback. This does introduce a small amount of subjectivity, but it is an important marker for brand placement and health.
These maps can sometimes be called perceptual maps. This is because placement on a brand positioning map relies on the perception of customers and consumers at large. How a brand is perceived is revealed by a brand positioning map.
Building a brand positioning map is easy. All you need is a piece of blank paper large enough to accommodate the number of brands you want to place. Once that’s done, the map will look like a plot graph, with large bubbles appearing wherever a brand is placed.
Here’s how you do it.
The map itself is built by using twin axes. There are a variety of styles that can be used, but this style is popular and easy to understand. No two brand positioning maps are going to be the same. It all depends on the industry or niche of the brands being ranked and positioned.
With a map like this, four variables are required for it to be accurate. These must be competing variables, like “more cool” and “less cool” or “practical” and “opulent.” Two competing variables go on the vertical axis, and two on the horizontal axis.
This creates four grids that stand between the different variables. On the upper right, you have “more cool” and “opulent,” and on the bottom left, you have “less cool” and “practical.” Now you can rate brands by consumer feedback into these categories.
Organizing this on a scale of 1 to 10 is easy but not required, as you place the marker for each brand where it should go.
This gives marketers an idea of how the product is viewed by consumers, which also helps them understand market placement and what consumers think of the brand. If the brand is trying to be cool but is rated under the centerline or in the “less cool” area, they know something is going wrong with messaging and branding.
For Digital Marketing
The brand positioning map is a tried and trusted tool in a marketer’s arsenal. It doesn’t have to be changed or altered in any way to be just as relevant for digital marketing. The variables may be different or more focused on the current meta, but the concepts are the same.
The data that can be drawn for digital marketing from a brand positioning map is important. The more targeted and precise digital marketing efforts are, the more likely they will succeed. This is why a brand positioning map is vital to help a brand expand or grow.
A Few Tips
When it comes to branding, there are a few things a business must never forget. The first is to treat the brand like it is a person. It must have an appearance and personality and be memorable to those interacting with it. Like everybody a person meets leaves a mark, so does every brand. Think of Tony The Tiger.
- A brand is a “person” as well as an entity.
- How does a brand sound? How does it talk about things?
- How does a brand think? How does it conceptualize things?
- What impression does a brand leave behind?
These are all considerations that are vital to implementing a successful brand.
Remember to use all available methods to get the story out regarding brand messaging. The more people are exposed to the brand message, the more customers it will bring in.
Here are some areas where a brand message can be shown:
- Television
- Streaming ads
- Social media
- Radio
- Website
- Blogs
- Forums
- Daily interactions
All of these areas are important. The message must remain the same, no matter where a customer hears it. That makes a great message and helps with consistency. Consistency is king where branding is concerned.
A brand message should represent the core values of the brand itself:
- Value proposition
- Vision
- Mission
- Uniqueness
The brand message should be the same for employees as for customers. Consistency in the brand messaging is vital because it reflects the sincerity and authenticity of the brand itself.
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