Subjective views on Positioning Maps eg errors to avoid in creating them. Positioning Maps can clarify what a brand should invest in, how to expand, which competitive activities are major or minor- and much more. Practical AND strategic; they're a key part of effective marketing planning.

1. Marketing Essentials
A key part of a
Marketing Planning:
Positioning Maps
Professor Steven Litt
@StrategySteven
©2021 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.

2. A Positioning Statement has 4 basic elements; here is
a popular format.
• “For________ (target & situation)
in __________________ (Frame of reference),
______________________ (Concept/Brand) will
_____________________________ (do something* better/
or offer something uniquely); and the reason to believe is
_____________________________________________”.
NB: A Positioning Statement is NOT an advertising tagline!
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.

3. A Positioning Statement should be included in an
advertising brief, but how do you decide just what it
is, that your brand should say it ‘does better or does
uniquely’?
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.

4. Positioning Map:
plots how you compete (in the perception of your
Target audience) on basis of distinct criteria that
may motivate a certain audience (ie be relevant in
choice decisions).
Guideline:
Find a ‘place in mind’ meaningful to a Target, where
your actual performance delivers on a promise, and
where you offer something unique.
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.

5. Positioning Maps:
Choose criteria that are as specific & crisp as
possible!
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.

6. Positioning
A STRONG positioning map helps guide decisions on
how to portray an identity ie which strengths to build on
& to emphasize in messaging, R&D, etc.
It should be aspirational yet realistic.
It should be crisply defined.
Make sure your positioning map is not WEAK!
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.

7. Positioning
A common Positioning Map WEAKNESS is the use of
wishy-washy words.
‘Quality’ ‘Value’ ‘Price’→ are WEAK choices for
a Positioning map axis. Too vague/ambiguous!
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.
Neutral
Face
Invoice
by
Till
Teenck
from
the
Noun
Project
‘Quality’: what is ‘quality’ to a consumer’? It typically means
something different to each consumer segment.
‘Value’: depends if & how a consumer is motivated! It’s the
outcome of an attribute, not an attribute itself!
‘Price’: its importance is often overstated; Too vague to be
meaningful on Brand map (eg Jeep prices range $30k to $80k) but
occasionally useful for comparing specifics sku’s.
Consider specific criteria that motivate a Target segment, for the
axis labels of a Positioning Map
Btw - Merriam Webster offers 12 definitions of Quality

8. Weak Positioning Map: let’s be clear up front; ‘quality’ and
‘price’ are near-useless as Map axis labels
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.

9. STRONG Positioning Maps help with decisions on…
• where to grow/invest (R&D, acquisitions, Customer
acquisition) vs where not to grow/invest
• which competitive activities are minor, vs major, threats
• which landscape changes* wrt consumer needs, call for
adjustments to the Marketing Plan.
* eg PESTLE shifts etc
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.
Stronger Positioning Maps:
+specific, crisp, defined… and fairly useful!

10. Positioning
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.

11. Positioning
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.

12. Positioning
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.

13. See the previous page. How is it useful?
Examples/Implications:
If adidas Reebok buys Speedo, new sales will be almost
entirely incremental.
To increase appeal to –and sales in- the ‘casual fashion’
segment, Arena might consider acquiring Volcom or Vans
Puma should closely monitor RIPCURL’s activities, since both
brands appeal to similar needs, yet Puma should not worry
much about news of activities by Tommy Hilfiger brand.
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.

14. Create a Positioning Map!
Test a Map out with avatars- think about how useful it will be
ie how motivating & relevant the axis criteria are →
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.
Target
Market
by
Invinic
Studio
from
the
Noun
Project

15. Positioning
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.
Simon tweets a very timely Positioning Map:

16. Positioning
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.
A ‘Life Partner’ trait map that accounts for my happiness;
it also shows ‘Quality’ or ‘Value’ are too ambiguous &
subjective to be useful.

17. SOURCES
• Steven Litt, StrategySteven.com accessed September 1, 2020
strategysteven.com
• Brandeo.com accessed July 2018
• Litt, Steven ‘Applied Marketing Research: A Grad Student Reader’; 5th
Edition, TopHat, 2020
• The noun project, accessed November 2020, creators cited in text
• Adcracker n.a. accessed June 2015
• Tweet via Simon Kuestenmacher Dec 23, 2020, n.a.
©2020 Steven Litt . All rights reserved. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated or posted publicly to a website in a whole or in part.