Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind

Inside-out thinking is the biggest barrier to success. Outside-in thinking is the best aid.

The effectiveness of this approach, of course, depends on the existence of an open creneau in the prospect’s mind. Not that there weren’t other small cars on the market at the time the Beetle was introduced. There were, but no one else had preempted the small-car position.

The pure covering move is often difficult to sell internally. Management often sees the new product or service as a competitor rather than as an opportunity. Sometimes a name change will help bridge the gap from one era to the next. By broadening the name, you can allow the company to make the mental transition.

If you want to be successful today, you can’t ignore the competitor’s position. Nor can you walk away from your own. In the immortal words of Joan Didion, “Play it as it lays.”

Well, the good old advertising days are gone forever and so are the words. Today you find comparatives, not superlatives.

The enemy that is keeping your messages from hitting pay dirt is the volume of communication. Only when you appreciate the nature of the problem can you understand the solution.

While line extension is usually a mistake, the reverse can work. Reverse line extension is called “broadening the base.” One of the best examples is Johnson’s baby shampoo. By promoting the mildness of the product to the adult market, the company has made Johnson’s baby shampoo one of the leading brands of adult shampoo. Notice the characteristics

The average person will sit still when being told something which he or she knows nothing about. (Which is why “news” is an effective advertising approach.) But the average person cannot tolerate being told he or she is wrong. Mind-changing is the road to advertising disaster.

What position do you own? Positioning is thinking in reverse.