The world of brands is
proliferating every day. Each category, particularly in the FMCG sector, has a
plethora of brands and more coming in with each passing day. Borrowing from the
positioning school of thought, we know that there are only a limited number of
areas in the consumers’ minds such as confidence, peace of mind, family’s love,
friendship, security, personal appearance, romance, hygiene, taste, aroma, optimism,
happiness, youthfulness, etc. We can
call them positioning spaces or territories. Take e.g. “happiness”. Many a
brands in different categories lay claim to this territory. Coke in beverages,
Dairy Milk in chocolates, Sooper in biscuits, etc.
A strategist’s job becomes very
easy when the brand he or she is supposed to suggest a positioning for delivers
on multiple territories. All that remains is to conduct a bit of competitors’
analysis and see which territory is still vacant i.e. no other brand in the
category has yet occupied it. Situation becomes tricky when the brand delivers
on a very few territories and all of them are occupied by other brands in the
category.
The obvious solution is to view
the territory from a different angle than the nearest competitor e.g. Lu Bakeri
biscuits’ “Taste of happiness” and Sooper biscuits’ “The taste of simple
happiness”, very close, aren’t they. Often such an approach makes the brand
that enters the same territory which another brand within the same category
already occupies as “Me Too”. It therefore scores lower on differentiation
& relevance with consumers.
One powerful approach to avoid
the ‘Me Too’ trap for a brand competing in the same category as its competitors
is to position it directly against the category leader, even if it be in the
same territory. Many brands have
successfully tried this approach and became big over time
Both Coke and Pepsi compete in
the “refreshment” territory. In 1971, Coke, first launched in 1886, introduced
the slogan “It’s the real thing” when it aired its “I’d like to buy the world a
Coke” campaign. Along with the messages of solidarity, overcoming frictions and
optimism, it also conveyed the brand’s heritage: for if it was the real thing,
it meant that it was the pioneer and therefore the oldest. By analogy, it also
meant that Coke drinkers were slightly aged and settled in their lives and
careers. Pepsi positioned itself as “The choice of the new generation” versus
the Coke’s “The real thing” targeting the youth. In terms of brand values, it
was about individuality versus Coke’s solidarity, against ‘overcoming frictions’,
it promoted ‘competitive spirit’ and instead of heritage, it was imagining
‘future’.
Against Marlboro’s masculinity,
freedom and outlaw character summed up
in its slogan “Welcome to the Marlboro country” featuring open and rough
terrains, cowboys, etc. all manifestations of outer strength & courage,
Benson & Hedges communicated “Turn to Gold” which implied ‘man’s inner
gold’, his spirit which was passionate and restless, discontented with the
status quo and having a strong desire to break free. It greatly helped B&H
build its differentiation and stature versus Marlboro
Dalda Banaspati Ghee, with added
vitamins, targeted mothers of growing-up children who needed extra nutrition in
their daily meals. The brand with its slogan “Jahan mamta, wohan Dalda”
(translation: where there’s motherhood, there’s Dalda) was quite successful in
the local market. Then came Habib Banaspati Ghee targeting young, newly married
women who needed to win over the hearts of their in-laws suggesting that the
meals tasted better with Habib besides being healthier
Whether the playground is target
audience, competitive set or differentiation, it always pays to own the
opposite end of the spectrum the category leader or your nearest competitor
occupies. It not only helps avoid the ‘Me Too” trap, it also keeps the brand
relevant for the category consumers and starts a tussle with the category
leader inviting consumers attention and invigorating their interest in the
category and ultimately helping the brand grow and get bigger
