Brand positioning is a simple, declarative statement that identifies the place your brand will stand for in the mind of the market. In most cases, it is an internal statement, designed to inform your team and stakeholders. However, we often find that a strong, brief brand positioning statement can double as an impactful tagline that resonates with your target audiences.
Working with a marketing agency to develop your company’s brand positioning can help you achieve brand clarity and craft an effective marketing strategy that keeps you top-of-mind among consumers.
Why is brand positioning important?
Developing a brand positioning statement creates a firm understanding of what sets you apart from your competitors.
Why should customers choose your brand over others?
What makes your product, service or experience different?
What value does that difference bring to the customer?
Effective positioning gets to the root of your brand differentiators and propels you to success as part of a comprehensive marketing strategy.
What are Overabove’s four hallmarks of a brand positioning statement?
- It is authentic
Your positioning statement tells the truth about your brand and doesn’t make a promise it can’t keep.
- It is specific
The positioning encapsulates your brand’s unique DNA. It is not a generic statement that could be claimed by your competitors.
- It differentiates
Your positioning stakes out a space that separates your brand from the competition. It is “I am” rather than “me too.”
- It resonates
Your positioning can be rendered in messaging, advertising and marketing that will have an impact on your target market.
Effective brand positioning examples
- Chipotle: “Food with Integrity”
In the space between fast food and casual dining chains is “fast casual” where Chipotle reigns supreme.
What’s the secret to their success (besides the tasty guac)? They deliver on their brand promise. Their small-but-mighty menu of 53 fresh, sustainably-sourced ingredients gives consumers a feel-good alternative to traditional fast food.
This positioning statement works because it simply and sincerely encapsulates their brand values and distinct offering, appealing to health- and sustainability-conscious consumers.
- Frederick Gunn School: Think fearlessly. Act thoughtfully.
The Frederick Gunn School, a vibrant boarding and day school in Washington, Connecticut, came to Overabove to develop a strategic campaign for student recruitment. We began by uncovering the school’s three undeniable facts, which became their brand DNA (1. natural, human scale; 2. the courage and conviction of the school’s founder, Frederick Gunn and 3. intentionality of experience). Using the DNA and four brand hallmarks as a guide, we developed the positioning statement “Think fearlessly. Act thoughtfully.”
What makes this positioning statement work? It confidently captures the school’s values and inspires prospects to adopt the mindset of a current student.
- FedEx: “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight”
This is a bit of an oldie, as FedEx has since evolved their positioning to “The World on Time” to better reflect, well, changing times. But the brilliance of their original positioning is what skyrocketed their business to success.
This example is a home run because of its emphasis on certainty. FedEx identified their target audience’s key concerns—reliability and urgency—and confidently delivered the solution (pun 100% intended).
- The Roosevelt New Orleans: Stay Original
The Roosevelt New Orleans, a Waldorf Astoria Hotel, faced challenges with differentiating themselves from the sea of competition in New Orleans’ famous French Quarter. They reached out to Overabove to develop a strong brand positioning and brand story that would stake an ownable place in the market and the hearts and minds of their target guests. We studied how their competition was positioned, conducted a SWOT analysis and gained insights from interviews with The Roosevelt team and key partners to develop their brand DNA.
The positioning statement we developed, Stay Original, celebrates the hotel’s storied past while promising rich and fulfilling experiences today. Through targeted messaging that was rooted in the positioning, The Roosevelt reached a new audience of meeting planners and travelers who were seeking a warm and genuine atmosphere.
- BMW: “The Ultimate Driving Machine”
This is a bold statement, but it’s one that BMW can back up. BMW is consistently rated the #1 car brand by Consumer Reports with high scores for road tests, owner satisfaction and predicted reliability. This statement works well because it’s proven and it appeals to directly to their target consumers who are looking for that perfect blend of quality and performance.
How does Overabove help clients develop brand positioning?
Collaboration is key at our agency.
Overabove’s proven process involves getting members of our team and yours around the table to drill down and identify what makes up your brand DNA. These are the three undeniable facts about your brand, which we use as building blocks to craft your positioning statement. Your positioning then becomes the foundation for how you express your brand through messaging, design and other components of a cohesive marketing strategy.
Want to learn more?
Contact us to see how we can move your brand over the competition and above the noise.