The Positioning Statement…To Test or Not to Test

Please, please, please, do not test your positioning statement with physicians! We realize that positioning is an art and that there are different ways to generate an effective end, but this is just not one of them.

A positioning statement is the published, optimized articulation of the intended positioning for a Brand. The statement is used to communicate a Brand's positioning to your internal team and outsource communications partners. Physicians are not marketing professionals and are, therefore, not equipped to evaluate a positioning statement. Almost without fail, physicians will view a positioning statement as promotional copy, and since they are positively influenced by more information, they'll rate the more inclusive positioning statements higher. This is counterproductive when we should be working to make positioning statements shorter and more precise. We frequently see statements with 7, 8, or even 9 elements, all of which are invariably the result of physician testing.

Positioning is a matter of marketing and not medicine. If you can't think of alternatives to testing positioning statements with physicians, give us a call—we have viable, proven options that deliver quantifiable results.

 

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Dennis Crowley