Positioning Statements

What are positioning statements?

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Positioning territory statements present the brand offer or promise. They explain what's different about the brand and why will it appeal. Usually consisting of the territory name and a short descriptive paragraph, the statement usually includes the consumer need the offer meets. 

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Why are positioning statements important?

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• Positioning - brands can only succeed if they take ownership of an unoccupied territory in the minds of their target audience. That requires identifying a distinctive offer that appeals.

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• Convey benefits - a positioning statement will contain a benefit, but it needn’t be a rational USP (unique selling point). It could be emotional. And it could be more than one benefit (‘Tastes good. Does good.’ Innocent drinks)
   

• Testing - before committing to a particular positioning, brands need to be sure they have the strongest offer with the most appeal. So they create several distinct positioning statements then put these into target audience research to gauge reactions.

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Considerations for positioning statements

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• Allure - the statement needs to evoke the appeal of the positioning.

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• Clear and simple language - the statements must use precise language with no room for misinterpretation.

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• Market insight - to find the right territory and establish a distinct position, you need in-depth knowledge of that particular market.
   

• Empathy - empathy with the target audience's can intuitively reveal needs that can suggest original positioning territories market research might overlook. Writers are good at this!

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• Vision - the positioning needs to fit the present whilst aiming to be future-proof: the target territory has to be viable for years to come.

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