Page 120 - DMGT408DMGT203_Marketing Management

Unit 5: Designing a Customer-driven Strategy .......

Pro-environment approach to positioning aims to show that the company is a good citizen. Notes

Example: Canon mentions on its packages, “Made from recycled material.”
Product class, such as freeze-dried coffee shown as a product that is a different one from instant
or regular coffee.

Example: Dove soap positioned as a moisturiser and not the toilet soap, and Pears as a
glycerine soap.

Price/quality is a powerful positioning technique.

Example: Zenith computers say “Multinational quality, Indian price.”
Country or geographic area, such as German engineering, Russian vodka, Benarsi silk sari, or
Dehradun rice.

5.4.4 Repositioning

No matter how well a product appears to be positioned, the marketer may be forced to decide on
its repositioning in response to new opportunities or threats. The product may be provided with
some new features or it may be associated with some new uses and offered to the existing or new
markets.

Example: Johnson and Johnson repositioned their baby shampoos and lotions for the
adult market by changing the promotional and packaging strategy. This was in response to
growing opportunities due to lifestyle changes.
It is often difficult to reposition a product or brand because of consumers’ entrenched perceptions
and attitudes.
5.4.5 Positioning Errors

Common errors in positioning are:
Underpositioning: This refers to a state of buyers having only a vague idea of the brand and
considering it just another “me too” brand in a crowded product category. The brand is not seen
to have any distinctive association.

Example: Brands like Sanyo, Hyundai Electronics, etc. in India don’t promote a strong
reason to buy their televisions instead to LG or a Sony.
Overpositioning: In this situation, buyers have too narrow an image of the brand. Thus, buyers
might think that Apple makes only very expensive computers when, in fact, Apple offers several
models at affordable prices.

Example: A web based grocery retailer - Peapod.com, which is based in the US, targeted
the busy professional and ignored the mass market.
Confused positioning: Sometimes, attempts to create too many associations or to frequently
reposition the brand only serves to confuse buyers.

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 113