You are what you say you are. That is an absurd declaration, isn’t it? If I were to say that I was the greatest baseball player of all time, or if I were to assert that I was a world-renowned architect, or if I were to announce that I was the chief fashion advisor to the Queen of England, all it would amount to is unsubstantiated, boastful words that have no truth to them. Then why would I tell you, in all candor, that in marketing, you can decide who you want to be as a company?

One of the tools we use with our clients when we are building a campaign is a marketing positioning statement. A marketing positioning statement is meant to do four things. First, it defines who your target market is. Second, it states how you want your target market to remember you. Third, it helps you identify what you are doing to solve a problem or make things easier for your target market. Fourth, it defines how you are going to make this happen. A marketing positioning statement is especially important when we are rebranding a company or a product or service of that company. If your brand has a bad reputation in your marketplace, a marketing positioning statement can help you reset the table. If you are entering into a new market, it will help you access the real needs of the consumers in your target market and decide how you will meet those needs.

Is it as easy as saying I am something different than what I used to be? No, but it is a first step in branding. Let me lay a little marketing psychology on you. You cannot become something better than you are if you are not initially willing to recognize that you need to change. A marketing positioning statement puts into words what you are aspiring to be in the eyes of your customers.

Several examples of this can be found within auto manufacturing. For instance, Honda Motors introduced its luxury brand, Acura, in 1986. Why did Honda create a new brand? The Honda brand sold very well, but it was not seen as a luxury car that would compete with other high-end brands, such as Mercedes Benz, BMW, Cadillac and Lincoln. Honda decided they needed a new brand to do so. So the Acura brand was introduced as the first luxury Japanese automobile under the slogan, "Acura. Precision Crafted Performance.” The marketing positioning of the Acura brand worked. People made Acura one of the best selling auto brands almost overnight. In fact, it sold so well that both of Honda’s chief Japanese rivals (Toyota and Nissan) soon launched their own luxury brands (Lexus and Infiniti).

How do you want your brand to be remembered? When your customers hear it, see it, and experience your brand, what do you want them to believe about it? Make sure your marketing is making this very clear. Then make sure your product and services are backing up the hype. Acura cars would have stopped being produced if they had a reputation for being as loud and rough riding as a diesel monster truck. They had to meet the expectations of their customers. But where was that expectation created? It was made by their marketing campaign. Campaigns start with a statement about your brand. How did they anticipate what those expectations were? They defined their target market and researched them to understand their needs. A good marketing positioning statement will help you do this and figure out the steps you need to take to back up your claims about your brand.

If you don’t have a marketing positioning statement, I would encourage you to do so. Especially if you are having a disconnect between what you want your customer to believe and what they are experiencing with your brand, it may be time to rebrand. You are what you say you are in marketing, as long as you can back it up.