"Positioning" Explained In 5 Minutes

This post is a really quick one.

I watched an AMAZING video on product positioning, and I want you to learn it too, in five minutes or less.

Ready? Let’s go!

First, meet this guy:

Al Ries. Father of Positioning. A brilliant marketer and effective storyteller.

Worked with the largest brands in the world - from Unilever to Samsung to Arokya Milk - simply brilliant work, especially in helping businesses establish categories for themselves.

That’s his keyword: Categories.

Not brands. Categories.

And therein lies the most important lesson in positioning that Al Ries has taught us.

Think of any category in any market. Notice which company/logo/jingle pops into your head instantly.

Examples:

• Energy Drink: Redbull

• Fun sports cars: Porsche (Reliable cars? Toyota)

• Luxury handbag: Louis Vuitton

Let’s try a few regional examples:

• Butter: Amul

• Quality Watches: Titan (Although you’ve got Casio, Timex, and more, your mind navigates to Titan, there’s a reason)

• Lights: Philipps

See there’s a reason when you think of fans, you think of Havells, and not Atomberg or even Bajaj

You have to nail down the categories.

While Havells makes a lot of products, it positions itself as a fan company first

While Philipps sells hair-dryers, it is primarily a lightbulb manufacturer

You do NOT need to be everything when you’re starting out. But you do need to position yourself as a category leader.

What if your category is already crowded? Define a new category

Energy Drink: Redbull

Energy Drink for Creators: PRIME

It’s crazy to see that Monster is still struggling to be a category leader, while PRIME (which is 10x smaller) already has a category of its own.

Another example:

Sports Cars: Porsche

Electric Sports Cars: Tesla

Remember: Categories, not Brands

Got two more minutes? Check out this video by Al Ries on positioning. You won’t regret it.