The Meaning of Marketing - I

Marketing should be redefined to its root as a triangle of Positioning, Differentiation, and Brand. A brand should be clearly positioned in the consumer’s mind to give it a clear Brand Identity. To give Brand Integrity to your positioning, it must be supported by strong differentiation. Positioning supported by strong differentiation will in turn lead to strong Brand Image (Figure 2.1)

Brand Identity is about positioning your brand in the minds of the consumers. The positioning should be unique for your brand to be heard and noticed in the cluttered marketplace. It should also be relevant to the rational needs and wants of the consumers. 

Brand Image is about acquiring the consumer’s mind share. Your brand value should appeal to consumer’s emotional needs and wants beyond product functionalities and features. 

Brand Integrity is about fulfilling what is claimed through the positioning and brand value through solid differentiation. It is about being credible to your promise and establishing the trust of the consumers to your brand. The target of Brand Integrity is the spirit of the consumers. It is the main message of this triangle: marketing shall not be regarded as telling lies for selling purposes; instead it should be regarded as keeping the promise to your customers. 

For example, S.C. Johnson & Sons, Inc. positioned itself as “the SUSTAINABLE five-generation family company that specializes in home care consumer products”. The differentiation lies in the sustainable business model. 

The company is an early pioneer of targeting the “bottom of the pyramid”—people earning less than $1 a day—in some markets such as Kenya. The term “bottom of the pyramid” has been very popular since C.K. Prahalad released Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, a book about serving the poor as a profitable and sustainable business.