Expand Your Positioning Perspective

When it comes to positioning or re-positioning a Brand, traditional pharma and biotech marketing practices tell us to find the right place for our product within the accepted confines of the current market. Well, what if we told you that you have a choice…a choice to not define your Brand within traditional context, but to actually 're-define' or 're-categorize' a market to grow the potential of your own product?

It's called 'Expansion Positioning' and the principle is simple: if the market your Brand is in or entering is saturated with multiple players vying for the same targets…look to define a new and/or different 'market' where your Brand can stand out.

For a brilliant example of this 'expansive' thinking, look no further than a new campaign from DeBeers, the world's leading diamond producer/supplier. For as long as any of us can remember, diamonds have been inextricably linked to the left hand of a woman in the form of an engagement ring and wedding band. But now, DeBeers has emerged with a new battle cry for its targets: "Women of the World…Raise Your Right Hand!" After years of categorical entrenchment, DeBeers showed intense marketing savvy by working to expand their market beyond the traditional role for diamonds. What's more, they've been able to preserve the emotional heritage associated with diamonds through use of meaningful expressions like: "If the left hand means we, the right hand means me."

Market definition is a critical step in positioning development that is often taken for granted. Unless you're fortunate enough to have a Brand that's establishing an entirely new market, chances are the environment your product is entering has already been defined—at least superficially—by someone else. As categories become more crowded, exploring alternate means of defining a market during positioning concepting can provide significant dividends in search of a unique and ownable positioning for your Brand.

At Brand Engineers, our process allows Brand Teams to step out of their preconceived notions and convenient marketing lingo and challenges them to look at their product's market differently. And when you approach positioning from a fresh perspective…there's no telling just how far your Brand can go.

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