Positioning is POWER

Sadly, marketing has been losing its influence in companies for years.

From the loss of control of 3 of the 4 P’s.

To the recent obsession with easy-to-measure salience.

And now the outsourcing of thinking to the wily charms of AI.

So what are we marketeers to do?

Accept the job offer in the colouring-in department? Or swim upstream like our lives depend on it?

At the heart of it all is the attempted take-down of positioning.

It started with science wielding its evidence like an axe.

Mental Availability, Distinctive Brand Assets and Category Entry Points became all-conquering acronyms. Unbelievers were dismissed. Any argument that brands were built on meaning was mocked.

It’s fair to say those wedded to the idea of passionate loyalty did need a bucket of water thrown over them.

But ultimately, the move toward meaninglessness is the height of folly.

Of course, brands have meaning. We humans attach meaning to everything.

Yes, that meaning comes into play in a moment, pre-consciously. So it can be hard to understand and measure.

But not impossible. You need qual before quant and the willingness to dive deep into people and brands.

Because you’re looking for where motivation and meaning connect and to turn that into a positioning. That takes experience, expertise and, above all, empathy.

AI can help. Boy, it can help.

But as a thinking partner, not a sub-contractor.

Ultimately, it’s about turning the intangible into the tangible, to build both emotional connection and competitive advantage. To create value for your company over time.

A positioning with power can do something else too. It can give you power.

Not if it just stays at home in the marketing department guiding comms development. But if it spreads up and out from there across the company.

Call it a vision or mission or a purpose if you like. It’s still a positioning.

"This is what we want our brand to stand for in our customers’ minds, so this is what it should stand for in our company."

Done properly, it should bring your team together around a ready-for-action strategy

It should elevate your team’s standing within the company.

It should give you the confidence to drive decisions across all 4 P’s.

Put you out front leading the brand into battle, flag flying.

The need is empowerment.

The strategy is positioning.