“My position in my life is “positioning.â€â€ September 1, 2011, Beijing Hotel VIP floor, 72-year-old global “positioning father†Jack Trout accepted the “China Business News†(blog, Weibo) An interview with a reporter.
Jack Trout is an American marketing expert. In 1969, his "Positioning: The Way of Competition in the Homogeneity Era" first proposed the "positioning" view in business, and was called "the concept that has had the greatest influence on US marketing ever."
"After the company has determined its positioning, try not to think too much about your positioning and repositioning strategy. It is simple and straightforward," Trout cautioned.
The positioning framework changes with the changes in the market, "China Business News": The positioning theory has been produced for more than 40 years. 40 years later, you have changed the positioning theory of “consumer attention†to “please pay attention to consumers†and raised the issue of repositioning. What is the context behind the continuous evolution of the "positioning" theory?
Jack Trout: 40 years ago, the competition of American brands had just begun. At that time, the “positioning†placed more emphasis on how to look at the concept of mind and how to compete within the United States. After 40 years have passed, competition has become a global feature and competition has become more intense. In this situation, the importance of positioning theory is increasing.
Now in the framework of positioning theory, how to compete, fight business warfare, how to set product differentiation and product concepts, which are different emphasis on positioning theory framework.
"China Business News": What is the current position of positioning theory in the global context? What are the characteristics of the Chinese market?
Jack Trout: In the two markets in Europe and the United States, the positioning theory has been very mature, and development has lacked new ideas. But for developing countries or emerging economies, the development of positioning theory has begun to become interesting. Because these countries have just begun to embark on the road of brand marketing.
Especially after the financial crisis, the management practices of enterprises have changed from before. In my latest book, Repositioning, I specifically talked about how we can adjust after the financial crisis. In general, keywords are adjustments. The most important one is that the brand information we convey must provide more added value. The subsequent rules of the game are based on value.
On a global scale, especially in Europe. Many people are talking about the concept of positioning, but they lack understanding of the true meaning of positioning. China is not the same, China is starting from scratch. China is the only “academy†in the world that specializes in positioning as a teaching philosophy and content. The true meaning and value of positioning are constantly being communicated. This is a prominent feature of China compared with other markets.
We must be very cautious about the “China Business News†in the development orientation of enterprises: how can positioning theory be applied in the era of media socialization? How does the interaction between companies and consumers adapt to changes in the media?
Jack Trout: Social media is just a tool, it can spread better, but we can't solve all problems simply through tools. The key is how to influence people through tools, and how to find differences in brand story.
There are actually many development trends, and brands should be very careful in adapting to these trends. First of all, every brand needs to have a very clear brand story. The story can be adapted according to new circumstances. And can't write a story from scratch. For example, a Rolex watch is a luxury in itself, and only elites can bring it. How to adapt its brand story in the new situation. After the financial crisis, the quality standards of Rolex did not change. In the past, the elite can bring, and now the brand story can become a heirloom. In order to reflect its eternal value.
"China Business News": Now that Chinese companies are faced with positioning theory, what is most perplexing is how to persist and practice? After all, verify it needs patience.
Jack Trout: Yes, this is not an overnight event. Enterprises set positioning and then implement it. Starting out doing marketing requires investing huge amounts of money. However, many companies did not have as much financial resources to start with. Therefore, it must be gradually advanced. After positioning, through market research to understand whether consumers have the expected perception. Constantly positioning.
In the process of market development, it is necessary to appropriately expand the scope of widening and positioning. This process must be careful not to break the natural connection with the original positioning values, otherwise there will be problems. In this process, the company must face up to the problems it faces and solve them.
Corporate price war is not a long-term plan "China Business News": You always mention the brand competition to avoid the price war, but under what circumstances, companies can take a low-cost strategy to participate in competition?
Jack Trout: My opinion is that when the product is updated, price competition is possible. Here we need to put the price as an element of competition. Since new products are on the market, competitors’ products may appear on the market. This is a two-pronged approach. On the one hand, newer products are developed, and on the other hand, price adjustments are made to old products.
But the temptation of price wars for businesses is long-standing. The price war was quickly deployed and the results were faster. I suggest that companies should adjust their strategies so that consumers not only look at prices, but also look at long-term values ​​and cost-effectiveness. Companies can continue to spread the idea that in the long term, using our products can get more value.
For example, the US market is more competitive and fierce. Some products can be clearly communicated to consumers. Competitors' products are cheaper, but it may have problems.
Jack Trout is an American marketing expert. In 1969, his "Positioning: The Way of Competition in the Homogeneity Era" first proposed the "positioning" view in business, and was called "the concept that has had the greatest influence on US marketing ever."
"After the company has determined its positioning, try not to think too much about your positioning and repositioning strategy. It is simple and straightforward," Trout cautioned.
The positioning framework changes with the changes in the market, "China Business News": The positioning theory has been produced for more than 40 years. 40 years later, you have changed the positioning theory of “consumer attention†to “please pay attention to consumers†and raised the issue of repositioning. What is the context behind the continuous evolution of the "positioning" theory?
Jack Trout: 40 years ago, the competition of American brands had just begun. At that time, the “positioning†placed more emphasis on how to look at the concept of mind and how to compete within the United States. After 40 years have passed, competition has become a global feature and competition has become more intense. In this situation, the importance of positioning theory is increasing.
Now in the framework of positioning theory, how to compete, fight business warfare, how to set product differentiation and product concepts, which are different emphasis on positioning theory framework.
"China Business News": What is the current position of positioning theory in the global context? What are the characteristics of the Chinese market?
Jack Trout: In the two markets in Europe and the United States, the positioning theory has been very mature, and development has lacked new ideas. But for developing countries or emerging economies, the development of positioning theory has begun to become interesting. Because these countries have just begun to embark on the road of brand marketing.
Especially after the financial crisis, the management practices of enterprises have changed from before. In my latest book, Repositioning, I specifically talked about how we can adjust after the financial crisis. In general, keywords are adjustments. The most important one is that the brand information we convey must provide more added value. The subsequent rules of the game are based on value.
On a global scale, especially in Europe. Many people are talking about the concept of positioning, but they lack understanding of the true meaning of positioning. China is not the same, China is starting from scratch. China is the only “academy†in the world that specializes in positioning as a teaching philosophy and content. The true meaning and value of positioning are constantly being communicated. This is a prominent feature of China compared with other markets.
We must be very cautious about the “China Business News†in the development orientation of enterprises: how can positioning theory be applied in the era of media socialization? How does the interaction between companies and consumers adapt to changes in the media?
Jack Trout: Social media is just a tool, it can spread better, but we can't solve all problems simply through tools. The key is how to influence people through tools, and how to find differences in brand story.
There are actually many development trends, and brands should be very careful in adapting to these trends. First of all, every brand needs to have a very clear brand story. The story can be adapted according to new circumstances. And can't write a story from scratch. For example, a Rolex watch is a luxury in itself, and only elites can bring it. How to adapt its brand story in the new situation. After the financial crisis, the quality standards of Rolex did not change. In the past, the elite can bring, and now the brand story can become a heirloom. In order to reflect its eternal value.
"China Business News": Now that Chinese companies are faced with positioning theory, what is most perplexing is how to persist and practice? After all, verify it needs patience.
Jack Trout: Yes, this is not an overnight event. Enterprises set positioning and then implement it. Starting out doing marketing requires investing huge amounts of money. However, many companies did not have as much financial resources to start with. Therefore, it must be gradually advanced. After positioning, through market research to understand whether consumers have the expected perception. Constantly positioning.
In the process of market development, it is necessary to appropriately expand the scope of widening and positioning. This process must be careful not to break the natural connection with the original positioning values, otherwise there will be problems. In this process, the company must face up to the problems it faces and solve them.
Corporate price war is not a long-term plan "China Business News": You always mention the brand competition to avoid the price war, but under what circumstances, companies can take a low-cost strategy to participate in competition?
Jack Trout: My opinion is that when the product is updated, price competition is possible. Here we need to put the price as an element of competition. Since new products are on the market, competitors’ products may appear on the market. This is a two-pronged approach. On the one hand, newer products are developed, and on the other hand, price adjustments are made to old products.
But the temptation of price wars for businesses is long-standing. The price war was quickly deployed and the results were faster. I suggest that companies should adjust their strategies so that consumers not only look at prices, but also look at long-term values ​​and cost-effectiveness. Companies can continue to spread the idea that in the long term, using our products can get more value.
For example, the US market is more competitive and fierce. Some products can be clearly communicated to consumers. Competitors' products are cheaper, but it may have problems.
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