Expert: Sean Trapani - 5/14/2008

Question
why is positioning of advertising so important

Answer
Paul,


When someone says "cola," what's the first brand name you can think of?

How about the second brand?

How about the 4th or 5th?

Not so easy, right?

That's because, as a general rule, our brains can only hold on to 2-3 specific examples within one category of something, be it a category of colas, restaurants or energy drinks.

Positioning allows businesses to enter a cluttered market place and still have a fighting chance at selling their product.

For example, 'Jolt Cola' (with extra caffeine) successfully positioned themselves as an "energy cola" long before Red Bull. If they just said they were another cola, they would have failed.

Positioning is all about perception; and how people perceive the difference of one product from another. That's why it's so important.


Sean Trapani