Process - Two key questions to get started
Whose perceptions of the brand matter? If the positioning of your brand is the core story it needs to tell, the answer to this question is found by exploring who the brand needs to tell its story to, in order to be successful.
It’s not enough to say ‘people who might buy my product’. Of course, the purchaser is an important target audience, but you need to think through all key groups of people whose positive perceptions of your brand will contribute to your success. This can include a range of decision-makers and decision influencers.
Who needs to buy in to the brand positioning? Any group that plays a significant role in making sure the organisation lives up to its brand positioning should be engaged in the process of developing the positioning.
It’s about consensus. Designing a brand positioning project optimally means including all relevant perspectives on what the brand story should be, so that when the brand story is finalised, everyone is on board and committed to it.
Typical Process
The Nutshell process involves six simple steps that provide a clear, logical approach to developing the positioning you need to guide the long-term success of your brand.
- Review desired outcomes
- List/outline existing information
- Confirm key stakeholders and target audiences
- Confirm category frame of reference
- Review background, issues, challenges, history, etc.
- General public
- Opinion leaders
- Summarise learnings from stages 2 and 3
- Review gaps between current and desired perceptions to frame up the magnitude of the challenge
- Explore implications
