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Good Positioning Statements
Posted By: mhansell on 9/18/2006 10:12 PM (CST) 50 Points
So I've read a lot about creating good positioning statements and everytime we think we have a good one here at the office we read something new that says NOT to do our positioning statement the way we did it. My question is two parts. One is to address an immediate conflict i've noticed in some "advice" on positioning statements

Some columns say that you should use superlatives such as "the best, the most, the fastest" to cement your unique position in a statement, and others say NEVER use superlatives. I personally don't like superlatives and think they illustrate little more than a claim without evidence. But I want to know your opinion. What do you think is better, and do you have any examples of what a good positioning statement includes?

Posted by: BrandMill Accepted Answer
9/18/2006 10:41 PM (CST)
My friend,

I've been happy with the results this template provides:

For (who?)
Who..have what problem?)
Your Brand Name does (company differentiator)
Which (core value proposition)
Unlike..Alternatives
Your Brand Name (key differentiators)

I agree with your feelings against superlatives - this framwork forces you to provide hard evidence of your reason for existence.

Hope this helps.

Best,

Steve
 
Posted by: mhansell Author Response
9/18/2006 10:55 PM (CST)
Thanks. I had seen this one and was using this to create my positioning statement; thanks for the confirmation.
 
Posted by: mhansell Author Response
9/19/2006 12:04 AM (CST)
So after following that advice here is what I came up with. Just to give you a bit of background, my company works mostly with artist and entertainment brands and does internet marketing and design for them. Our core competencies are interactive marketing, use of WOM marketing, digital street teams etc. How does this positioning statement sound?

For entertainment brands looking to increase their online presence, Fan Force provides full service interactive solutions that build loyal fan bases. Unlike other marketing companies, we combine the power of the internet with interactive solutions that encourage fans to spread positive word of mouth about your brand.
 
Posted by: mwrivers Accepted Answer
9/19/2006 4:13 AM (CST)
Agree with the framing questions, but found your statement a bit mechanical, wordy and imprecise: Particularly, "the power of the internet" is as old as a hat can get (!)

In my view there are two components:

"Fan Force helps entertainment brands build loyal fan bases online." (snappy?)

"and
"Unlike other marketing companies, our full-range service includes interactive online solutions that encourage fans to spread positive word of mouth about your brand." (this is the special bit)

or shorter..
"(Unlike other marketing companies,) our interactive online solutions encourage fans to spread positive word of mouth about your brand."

or
"Unlike other marketing companies, we also have interactive online solutions that encourage fans to spread positive word of mouth" (makes you distinct, articulates what you have that your competitors don't)

or even
"To increase this/ grow more loyalty, we use interactive online solutions that encourage fans to spread positive word of mouth"

In my experience, you want to make these statements something you could *actually say* in a conversation without losing the listener (by boring them or confusing them).

There are many positioning statements that only appear in pride of place in a company report, in the form of a quote delivered by a pompous-looking senior executive. We all know that this is not something that they really thought of saying (at least not before writing it down and practising it many times in the bathroom and in their car on the way to work).

Hope this helps.

Best,
Michael
 
Posted by: Emi_C Accepted Answer
9/19/2006 5:16 AM (CST)
Hi,

if I may offer just a small piece od advice or my personal opinion.

Your positioning statement should reflect the essence of your product/brand. If you are focusing on product attributes such as functionality, the usage of superlatives works. Don't use too many superlatives though. If on the other hand, you are focusing on self expressive or emotional attributed of your product/service/brand Id rather go with something that describes you, your target market and the connections between the two. Focusing on emotional or self expressive attributes with a product such as service is hard but you focus instead on the experience that comes with the useage of the product/service. So, what is the product attribute that differentiates you from your competitors OR what is the experiential factor that distinguishes you from your competitors. When using Amazon for instance, its simple, its efficient, its exhaustive with data and details so it makes me feel calm, relaxed and optimistic that I will find what I am looking for. This is my experience only. I may have gone in a different direction from what your question was. Sorry

The positioning statement above, I find it well defined and articulated but I agree with mwrivers, shorter version of this and something that is well understood the moment you hear it would be better.

Very best of luck,
Emi
 
Posted by: Dman Accepted Answer
9/19/2006 11:22 AM (CST)
This is a bit long but worth the read:

First of all, stay away from superlatives in your statement. They do nothing but make you sound like you couldn't come up with a specific reason for doing business with you in the first place.

Secondly, when you use the term "unlike other marketing companies", you've just lost face in the eyes of the customer because they know you can't be the ONLY company around offering what you're offering. This is what I call a "lame claim" - no offense intended. So also stay away from "unlike other...".

With that said, the goal of your positioning statement is to create 1)credibility and 2)relevance. The thing is, most companies do the opposite of this by focusing on themselves in their statement. Now I know what you're asking, "If I don't talk about my business how will the customer know anything about me?" Good question. The answer is, you do this by talking about your company without really talking about your company. Instead, talk about WHO you help, how you help THEM, the value THEY will receive and the end benefit to THEIR business.

In other words, become costomer-centric. Go into their world. Discuss problems you believe they have, but try not to sound like you know for sure they have them or that you are the only solution to their problem. It goes something like this:

We work with (target market) that are experiencing (problem) and are looking for (your company's unique competency). We help them (specific strategy you'll implement) so they can (value) and provide them with (benefit) in order to (marketing objective).

Short and simple but chalked full of information ALL potential customers are looking for.

Credibility and Relevance. The two big elephants in the room and you've just been armed with an even bigger gun.

Dman
 
Posted by: mhansell Author Response
9/19/2006 11:54 AM (CST)
wow, this is my first time posting a question on Marketing Profs, and now I see that it is definitely worth being involved in the community. Thankyou all for the wonderful feedback. I'm going to rework this positioning statement using some of the suggestions you all gave and present another version to you all.

To mwrivers or anyone that can answer this question, when we used "the power of the internet" we were trying to convey the large audience and ability to easily spread a message...with smaller words. Any ideas on that?
 
Posted by: mwrivers Accepted Answer
9/19/2006 4:24 PM (CST)
I would think words such as "online" and "interactive" would give most listeners a clue that you, like most people, are using "the power of the internet" (it's just assumed to be there)
 
Posted by: mhansell Author Response
9/19/2006 10:24 PM (CST)
For entertainment brands looking to increase their online presence, Fan Force provides full service interactive solutions that build loyal fan bases. We combine the internet with interactive solutions that encourage fans to spread positive word of mouth about your brand.

this is my attempt at tryin to use Dmans format

Fan Force works with entertainment brands that lack a strong internet presence and are looking for an interactive solution. We help them reach the online community so they can position their brand on the internet and provide them with a full service campaign in order to increase their fan base.
 
Posted by: lisat Accepted Answer
9/20/2006 2:45 PM (CST)
It's possible to reduce this down even more (less is more):

"Fan Force helps entertainment brands enhance their internet presence by using full-service, online campaigns to increase their fan base."
 
Posted by: Dman Accepted Answer
9/20/2006 2:55 PM (CST)
mhansell,

What a difference in your statement. You're almost there! Do you see how this sounds more like a purpose than a sales pitch? That's the true power of effective communication. So since you honored me by trying out my format - which by the way kicks even if I do say so myself, I'm going to clean up your attempt and refine it to a hard-punching, customer-centric "reason" for being in business in the first place.

Use this when somebody asks you in an elevator, "So, what do you do?" You now have a real answer and not a practiced and forced "script".

It goes like this:
We work with entertainers who lack a strong internet presence and are looking for more online visibility. We help them develop strategies to position themselves on the internet and provide them with specific steps to take in order to increase name recognition.

Gold baby, gold.

ps - don't use 1 egg when the recipe calls for 3 - you'll save money but the cake will taste like . . .
 
Posted by: mhansell Author Response
9/20/2006 5:49 PM (CST)
THANKYOU ALL! For your help. I appreciate the aid, particularly you dman. I think this has given me a much firmer grasp on my companies positioning statement. I look forward to participating in this community more often.
 


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