Possible Sources of Specific Positioning

Philip Kotler suggests that you consider the following as possible sources of specific positioning for your brand:

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  Attribute positioning: The company positions itself on some attribute or feature.A beer company asserts that it is the oldest beer maker; a hotel describes itself as the city’s tallest hotel. Positioning by a feature is normally a weak choice since no benefit is explicitly claimed.
  

• Benefit positioning: The product promises a benefit.Tide claims that it cleans better, Volvo claims that its cars are safer. Marketers primarily work with benefit positioning. Use/application positioning: The product is positioned as the best in a certain application. Nike might describe one of its shoes as the best to wear for racing and another as the best to wear for playing basketball.
  

• User positioning: The product is positioned in terms of a target user group.Apple Computer describes its computers and software as the best for graphic designers; Sun Microsystems describes its workstation computers as the best for design engineers.
  

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  Competitor positioning: The product suggests its superiority or difference from a competitor’s product.Avis described itself as a company “that tries harder” (than Hertz,by implication); 7 UP called itself the Uncola.
  

• Category positioning: The company may describe itself as the category leader. Kodak means film; Xerox means copy machines.

• Quality/price positioning: The product is positioned at a certain quality and price level. Chanel No. 5 is positioned as a very high-quality, high-price perfume;Taco Bell represents its tacos as giving the most value for the money.

Source: Philip Kotler, Kotler on Marketing: How to Create,Win, and Dominate Markets (New York: Free Press, 1999), p. 58.