Page 312 - Marketing Management

CRAFTING THE BRAND POSITIONING | CHAPTER 10 289

Unfortunately, consumers typically want to maximize both of the negatively correlated
attributes or benefits. Much of the art and science of marketing is dealing with trade-offs, and
positioning is no different. The best approach clearly is to develop a product or service that
performs well on both dimensions. GORE-TEX was able to overcome the seemingly conflicting
product images of “breathable” and “waterproof” through technological advances. When in-
depth and quantitative interviews and focus groups suggested that consumers wanted the
benefits of technology without the hassles, Royal Philips launched its “Sense and Simplicity”
advertising campaign for its Philips brand of electronics, using print, online, and television
advertising. 22
Some marketers have adopted other approaches to address attribute or benefit trade-offs:
launching two different marketing campaigns, each one devoted to a different brand attribute or
benefit; linking themselves to any kind of entity (person, place, or thing) that possesses the right
kind of equity as a means to establish an attribute or benefit as a POP or POD; and even attempt-
ing to convince consumers that the negative relationship between attributes and benefits, if they
consider it differently, is in fact positive.

Differentiation Strategies

To build a strong brand and avoid the commodity trap, marketers must start with the belief that
you can differentiate anything. Competitive advantage is a company’s ability to perform in one or
more ways that competitors cannot or will not match. Michael Porter urged companies to build a
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sustainable competitive advantage. But few competitive advantages are sustainable. At best, they
may be leverageable. A leverageable advantage is one that a company can use as a springboard to
new advantages, much as Microsoft has leveraged its operating system to Microsoft Office and then
to networking applications. In general, a company that hopes to endure must be in the business of
continuously inventing new advantages. 24
For a brand to be effectively positioned, however, customers must see any competitive ad-
vantage as a customer advantage. For example, if a company claims its product works faster than
its competitors, it won’t be a customer advantage if customers don’t value speed. Select Comfort
has made a splash in the mattress industry with its Sleep Number beds, which allow consumers
to adjust the support and fit of the mattress for optimal comfort with a simple numbering
index. 25 Companies must also focus on building customer advantages. 26 Then they will deliver
high customer value and satisfaction, which leads to high repeat purchases and ultimately to
high company profitability.

Progressive Progressive Progressive gained a competitive advantage in the mid-1990s
when it became one of the first auto insurance companies to sell direct to consumers via
the Internet. The company’s early adoption of technology enabled it to offer a unique service:
In addition to providing free online quotes for its own policies, Progressive also provided
quotes from up to three competitors, information that until then had been available only
through insurance agents. In addition to saving its customers time, Progressive was able to save them
money by showing that, in many cases, its policies were more competitively priced. Once Progressive

Progressive supports its low-price
point-of-difference by providing
competitive quotes online.