Positioning a Brand in the Marketplace

1 consider Microsoft, a company that was

started in a hotel room by a couple of college
dropouts with one compelling vision: a computer on every desk and in every home. It may have been a brazen idea 20 years ago, but it has guided Microsoft ever since, giving it uncontested dominance in the desktop software market and making Bill Gates a very rich man. Microsoft today is hardly what you would call a simple company. It employs more than 20,500 people and designs and sells a vast array of software programs in 60 countries; last year it netted over $2 billion in income. But as much as it has grown, it has never lost sight of its original vision. Everything about Microsoftits products, its marketing and, most important, its brand positioning-is still driven by the idea of a computer on every desk and in every home. Microsoft products are for ordinary computer users, not technogeeks. The Microsoft brand enables people to leverage the power of computing to work better, have fun and fulfill their aspirations. Its advertising asks users, "Where do you want to go today?" The company is a giant, but a friendly giant, one that puts a high priority on being simple, contemporary, approachable, hip and even low-tech-as much as that attribute may seem counterintuitive in the context of a technology business.

2-- And then there is Ralph Lauren-the

brand and the man. Lauren's clothing is
positioned as the choice "for people who care more about looking good than being fashionable." This is a gutsy position to take in the designer's arena-and one that only recently succeeded in Lauren being named designer of the year by the Council of

Fashion Designers of America. The brand attributes are simple, clean, aspirational and upscale. As Fortune magazine has pointed out, "Lauren doesn't make his runway models look like hookers from space." Back in the late 1960s, Ralph Lauren began his business with nothing more than a tie collection. His chance to create a big name for himself came when Bloomingdale's agreed to carry his line of neckties. But there was one condition: that he make them slightly narrower and remove his name from the label. He refused. Even at that early point in his career, Lauren understood the importance of defining his brand and then protecting it. That mind-set has stood him in excellent stead ever since. Every Ralph Lauren line extension-whether bed linens, towels, flatware, retail stores or even paint-has been managed with a sharp eye on the essence of his brand and its positioning. His success has followed, and his careful brand management was recently recognized by the financial community when Mr. Lauren launched one of the most successful retail initial public offerings, generating $767 million. Of course, Ralph Lauren is not a brand without a face. One must be particularly careful about managing a brand that bears his or her own name. The success of Ralph Lauren reminds us that an individual can be positioned as a brand. Look at Martha Stewart, or Richard Simmons, or Frank Perdue. Lately, many of the most successful and visible human "brands" have come from the world of sports. Even among people who can't tell a chip shot from a slam dunk, Shaquille O'Neal, Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods all have instant name recognition.

3 Desh ka namak Tata Salt unveils new brand positioning

paradigm shift from the rational (right brain) advertising approach to the category, the Desh ka namak platform will see Tata Salt take an emotional (left brain) platform, which has the potential to be a big category clutter-breaker.

Unveiling the new positioning platform, Kapil Mehan, vice president, sales and marketing, Tata Chemicals, said, "Although advertising for the salt category in India has traditionally focused on detailing the functional properties of the various brands, Tata Salt, as the category leader, is best equipped to take on the broader and more fundamental emotional aspects associated with salt. "The new positioning juxtaposes the pungency of the product itself against the honesty and integrity of ordinary Indians, reinforcing the brands leadership position, both in the marketplace and in the minds of Indian consumers. All of which reiterates the brands commitment to millions of Indians." With the intrinsic equity and strength needed to shoulder such an emotional platform, Tata Salt has reaffirmed its leadership position by changing the category paradigm of health and taste. While Tata Salt has thus far been positioned on the rational aspects of 'purity', its new positioning places this very proposition within the larger context of the consumers life, encompassing both rational and emotional manifestations of purity.

4-- "Positioning" is dead, and McDonald's has just put up the tombstone. But what is really interesting for branding is what is taking its place.
McDonald's dispensed with its most prominent ingredient in order to respect, and to please, its Indian customers. Many Indians eat no beef or pork, or any meat at all. According to Vikram Bakshi, managing director of McDonald's India North, it was necessary to adapt the company's offerings while keeping the core brand values consistent across cultures. "The menu has evolved over the years as a result of constant innovation and our customers' needs," says Bakshi. "Local creations like McAloo Tikki Burger, Curry Pans, Wraps Pizza McPuff, and McVeggie are established departures from what we

had in our introductory restaurant offerings. "Today 70 percent of our menu is Indianized', and the McAloo Tikki burger is our highest selling product. While the menu may be different in some ways, the McDonald's experience around the world is consistent, offering quality, great service, cleanliness, and value." Since drive-through service is not common in India, scooters and bicycle delivery services extend the concept of a quick, hot meal on the go in a way that is quintessentially Indian yet consistent with the global brand. It's still McDonalds, and Indians love it. Think global. Be local. McDonald's, the premier mass market branding giant, announced that it has abandoned positioning. Says Larry Light, McDonald's chief global marketing officer. McDonald's advocates "brand journalism," or tailoring products and messages to both targets and media. "Positioning" advocates are apoplectic at such apostasy. "

5-- Parle Agro Ltd is betting on N-joi positioned as real fruit, real milk to further slice open the virgin fruit-milk
beverage market. N-joi represents Parle Agros eventual ambition to carve out a niche in the the domestic liquid-milk market, In same way Parle planned tp position Milk Bikis to get a share of the glucose segment in Tamil Nadu, The southern markets continue to be the stronghold for the milk biscuit category, and Milk Bikis has been the dominant brand so far.

Milk Shakti is pegged at Rs 5 for 100 gm. It is no longer calling it a glucose-based product. Instead, it will be positioned as a biscuit with the goodness of milk and honey, With this value-added positioning, Parle G is hoping to gain volumes for its franchise.

References:

1.wikepedia.com

2.Marketing Management by Philip Kotler

ASSIGNMENT

OF MARKETING
TOPIC: POSITIONING OF FIVE COMPANIES
SUBMITTED TO: Mr.Manpreet Singh SUBMITTED BY: Simmi Bala Roll no.-39 MBA-G