Brand Positioning | Stay Premium Find Success

EPISODE 124

 

CHRONICLE: August 9th, 2023

 

"Just say NO to COMMODITY!"

                                       Tom Peters, The Circle of Innovation

Content from…

 

The Visionary Brand, The Success Formula Behind the World's Most Visionary Brands.

• Readers Favorite Award Winner; Top Marketing Book
• Amazon Bestseller.

 

Brand Positioning | Stay Premium Find Success

 

Positioning is a cornerstone piece of defining your brand strategy. Having described your brand's position in the marketplace, you will have determined your point of difference vs. your competition, how future products will enter your selected distribution channel, and what type of products will fit into your portfolio.

Each of these foundational questions is part of your positioning strategy. Within each question are deep-rooted answers which will direct your path as you move forward.

With Positioning, you are either premium or commodity, with a sprinkling of some brands in the middle of the road. Defined as "good," "better," or "best," Positioning, your objective should be to be the "best," or at the very least at the top tier of "better," but NEVER "good"! This is where the commodity companies, notice I said commodities and not brands, play, and you do not want to play in the bloody water—too many sharks and insufficient food or margin to s. Go where the water is clear, and no one fights over scraps. Granted, this is more difficult, as these waters are more vast, but it will support your success long-term. This is why being DIFFERENT is critical to a brand's success, not worrying about competition, and finding ways to stay ahead of the innovation curve and disrupt wherever possible.

When establishing the Positioning for your Brand, several questions must be asked.

• What are we Selling?
• Who are we Selling to?
• Where are we Selling?
• How do we want to be Perceived?

Each of these sets a foundation for your Vision to where your brand can travel and what paths are prohibited. Travel down these paths and succeed, veer off course and fail. Your choice!

24/7

With data being consumed by your customers 24/7, how does a brand cut through the clutter? Once you have defined your Positioning, you need to set a cohesive, vertical strategy that allows you to engage with your community, build an authentic audience, and enable them to be a part of your growth. Remember, it is better to have ten authentic ambassadors of your brand than 1,000 who are not committed to supporting your Vision.

With 35-40 touchpoints a day, it is critical to have a set plan, a clear, cohesive strategy understood by all who are empowered to execute its success.

Once you have set your Positioning and determined your 24/7 marketing strategy, ensuring you stay the course, do not sell out, take shortcuts, or maneuver off course is critical. When a brand decides to pursue these, they end up having to put the brand in reverse, and they also damage community loyalty and the equity of all brands.

So as you set your course, start your Journey, stay True to who you are, define your brand culture, reward those who contribute to your success and never look in the rearview mirror. Keep blazing the path for others to follow.

 

Stay True, Stay Authentic, be Different, and be Great!

Enjoy the Journey!

 

Bryan Smeltzer, President

LiquidMind Inc.

#TheVisionaryChroniclesPodcast

#TheVisionaryBrandBook

 

@LiquidMindsite.com

@BryanSmeltzer.com

 

 © All rights reserved, Bryan Smeltzer, 2023

 

Bryan Smeltzer is a consumer products business executive and entrepreneur. He has held executive-level roles in business development, product, and marketing with some of the world's most prestigious brands, including; Oakley, TaylorMade, Adidas, K-Swiss, and Schutt Sports, among other international brands. He also founded a men's apparel brand, successfully running a profitable business for ten years, eventually selling to a VC firm.

 

He also hosts a Podcast called The Visionary Chronicles. In addition, he recently finished his first bestselling book, The Visionary Brand, The Success Formula Behind the World's Most Visionary Brands. He recently received the prestigious Readers Favorite Award for BEST Non-fiction, Marketing Genre book.

He is a member of the Board of Advisors at UCI's BCIE along with their New Venture Program, an Innovation Advisor at the UCI's Applied Innovation program at the Cove, a Mentor/Advisor to UCLA's Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, and the UCLA Media, Entertainment and Sports programs, and the San Diego Sports Innovators Accelerator (SDSI) center.

 

Bryan currently oversees LiquidMind Inc., a global brand strategy firm that partners with start-ups and established mid to large-cap consumer brands to empower businesses to think differently, be different, drive a passionate culture, and execute relentlessly.

 

email | bryan@LiquidMindsite.com

Facebook |  @bryansmeltzer33

Instagram |  @bryan_smeltzer

Twitter | @bryansmeltzer

LinkedIn | linkedin.com/in/bryansmeltzer/