SEGMENTATION AND POSITIONING STRATEGIES IN MARKETING
Play this video on how social media platforms are “positioned” in the market – – you can argue this is also about segmentation. Note, just recently Instagram passed Twitter.
(1) What did you find most interesting about this video? (2) Think of one of your favorite brands and discuss how it is positioned in the market. Include a URL that substantiates your point. Minimum of 150 words. DUE OCTOBER 7. [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yasB9Oi41AQ[/youtube]
September 29th, 2019 at 2:19 pm
I had never thought about the fact that businesses must think about their position in that way for their market. I knew of all the social media sites I know, but I didn’t rank them the same as the video did, I’m sure other people didn’t as well. But, if you ask me to rank them based on different criteria I am sure the order of the list would change again. I think for me it would be the stores I shop at for clothes, for example, jeans. American Eagle is the store I go to if I am shopping for jeans. But, say I was looking for a sweater, t-shirt, or sweatshirt. My mind my change because of other stores such as Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch, Forever 21, or Zumiez. It all depends on what exactly I am looking for in the market. Now that I think about it all makes a lot more sense, but I have never thought about the market this way and I found it very interesting.
September 29th, 2019 at 2:21 pm
Here is my link that I forgot to include, sorry!
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/18/buy-american-eagle-because-of-an-ongoing-resurgence-in-the-denim-cycle-analyst-says.html
September 29th, 2019 at 5:58 pm
I enjoyed the examples of positioning your company in a particular niche rather than trying to dethrone a top competitor. For example, in the video they demonstrated that by Linkedin not trying to market itself as the new Facebook or another top social media website and instead finding the niche of creating a platform for business communication, they were successful. Linkedin was very particular in how they were trying to market themselves and they marketed towards certain people instead of a whole general population. One of my favorite companies/brands would have to be Goat. They have positioned themselves not as the leading shoe selling company but as a luxury shoe dealer that can guarantee that your shoes are completely authentic. Unlike other shoe retailers Goat has an enormous selection of shoes that not only has classic shoes that you like but also keeps up to date with new shoes too unlike most shoe retailers that only have new shoes and constantly cycle through styles. Unlike ebay and other item selling websites, Goat can guarantee that the product they are selling is 100% the real thing and not a knockoff. Goat is not trying to be the number 1 shoe retailer but, they are trying to bring you authentic shoes that are new and old.
https://www.goat.com/
https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/lifestyle-brands-rising-digital-disruption-challenge/1595767
September 29th, 2019 at 7:02 pm
This video was interesting because right when it said to think of social media, Facebook came to my mind. The position a company has in the market is very important and you want to be at the top of the ranking. It also mentioned that Pinterest and LinkedIn were smart because they market themselves differently than other social media. LinedIn is considered the Business social app and Pinterest in known for DIY’s and crafts. When I think of Lululemon they are known for high quality work out wear. However, I consider them in their own position in the market because how they portray themselves as more expensive. They also host yoga sessions and other events in store to promote healthy lifestyles along with their brand. They also do not have many competitors in the market. Nike, Adidas & Under Armour are all on the same ladder and sell very similar things. Just like Pinterest and LinedIn, I think Lululemon has the right idea selling high quality workout wear.
https://www.academia.edu/11804725/Lululemon_Marketing
September 30th, 2019 at 12:55 pm
From this video, it was interesting to realize that companies can make their own “ladder” or category in which they do business in. It helps to set them apart from others that they know they can’t compete with and beat out in the top spot. It makes it so your company can be in a good position to succeed without having to compete against other companies that are similar but aren’t necessarily built for the same types of customers. A company that I like is Fashion Nova. They are clothing brand for women that recently added clothes for men as well. They are in a different position than most clothing stores because they have tens of thousands of items, they mostly operate online, the clothing is low priced and they always have coupons available for another 30-50% off anything, and they have free two-day shipping when you spend $75 or more. They also keep very close with the trends and you are then able to get clothing that you won’t find anywhere else until months later and at a higher cost. It is a relatively new brand, but they have exploded in recent years.
https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/inside-fashion-nova-cardi-b-1202595964/
September 30th, 2019 at 4:13 pm
Something I found most interesting about the video is that the video states that if you are not within the top two rungs of your broad category, then you’re missing out on a lot of opportunity. knowing that your brand is not at the top two rungs allows businesses to know when they need to make a change in their marketing position. I did not even realize before watching this video that you could create your own ladder with a new position. After watching the video, this made total sense and I can think of many brands that are not the first that you think of when you think of the general category but if you were to look for something more specific like the example given of LinkedIn being the top social media site for business-related social media then they too would be ranked as top brands.
One of my favorite brands is Sensodyne. When you think of toothpaste brands many would first think of Colgate and Crest first. But when you think of a toothpaste that is specifically for sensitive teeth, Sensodyne is on the top of the ladder.
https://www.sensodyne.com/en-us/
September 30th, 2019 at 4:18 pm
This is a link to an article on how Sensondyne switched their marketing to go from a 5% market penetration to a brand worth more than 1 billion dollars with year after year of growth. https://www.marketingsociety.com/sites/default/files/thelibrary/Sensodyne%20-%20How%20marketing%20created%20a%20billion%20dollar%20brand.pdf
September 30th, 2019 at 4:34 pm
The thing I found most interesting about this video was the idea of a business carving out a new ladder to better position themselves in the market. I was pretty surprised at how spot on the video got my ladder of social media, but was also really interested in how they then further broke down the ladders to more specific rungs. It makes me think of other “social media” ladders that could be out there, like blogging social media, which would bring to my mind Tumblr as a main contender. As far as a brand or company that I really enjoy and their position on the marketing ladder, I thought of Stitch Fix. As with many other things, the business of online shopping is booming. A huge trend right now are businesses that do personal clothing shopping and send boxes of clothes hand picked for the consumer. My personal favorite one is Stitch Fix, and I really feel that it would hold the top wrung of the ladder if you were to ask someone to think about personal shopping companies. They have a great business model, and are on an upward growth trajectory. A big key for their growth is the data they are able to collect on their website. They have a “style shuffle” which helps customize boxes more efficiently. Check out this article for some more information on Stitch Fix’s growth in the market:https://www.marketwatch.com/story/stitch-fix-is-on-a-growth-trajectory—-here-are-2-reasons-why-2019-06-06
October 1st, 2019 at 10:07 am
This video was interesting to me for various reasons. It was interesting to think about businesses creating new ladders to help better postition themselves. Truthfully, before watching this video, I never knew you could create your own ladder when you want a new position. It was interesting how LinkedIn created a new platform and took off and were not coming off as the new Facebook. Sometimes it helps to start from the bottom or start new and do what is needed to compete with other companies in order to become better or more advanced. It is great sometimes for people to know they cannot start at the top and just kick off and be great from the get go. One of my favorite brands is Under Armour. According to a Press Release, it states, “Under Armour is designed for resilience and over the past two years, our global team has worked tirelessly to transform our business – operationally, strategically and culturally,” said Under Armour Chairman and CEO Kevin Plank. “With a distinct strategy engineered around a clear, uniquely defined consumer supported by a disciplined go-to-market process and data-driven demand mapping, we have never been more inspired, aligned and capable of achieving our goals. As we execute against our long-term strategy, we remain unwavering in our commitment to protecting and growing the Under Armour brand,” Plank continued. “Led by a strong management team, an accelerated innovation agenda and comprehensive discipline around our commitment to increasing total shareholder return, we look forward to delivering the next chapter in our growth story.” This is great to see because this company knows they are not at the top and they are coming together to form new ways to grow as a company and financially. Under Armour knows it is not at the top so they decided to come up with a strategic plan. In my mind, strategy starts with determination and you can see this clearly in Under Armour. Personally, I shop numerous places for clothes. Therefore, I would likely rank different companies differently based on the criteria that is being asked. Under Armour is really good for shoes, but for professional clothes, I prefer Kohls, for example.
http://investor.underarmour.com/news-releases/news-release-details/under-armour-presents-2023-strategic-growth-plan-updates-2018
October 1st, 2019 at 2:07 pm
Like many have already stated, this video was attention-grabbing. It is most intriguing to learn how businesses have to rearrange an idea to move up the ladder. Much like the examples they gave about asking to name social media, but then asking to name businesses who have social media. The answer definitely changes. It amazes me at how much work goes into a thought process alone to strategically market a product and keep it successful.
A product that comes to mind is something my husband uses. He is a huge fan of The Dollar Shave Club. Of course, there is a large market for brands like Gillette, but he didn’t like how expensive they were and didn’t last long. The Dollar Shave Club is not only affordable, but easy to obtain in the comfort of your own home. According to https://www.quicksprout.com/content-marketing-tricks-that-helped-dollar-shave-club-go-viral/, they knew they would be underdogs to the rest of the shaver world, but they added humor to their marketing campaign which caught attention of consumers. They initially marketed with a video which went viral. Soon people were sharing the video on social media platforms, which helped business grow. Not to mention, in every purchase, you get bathroom reading material, which is also comical. My husband doesn’t have to sit at the store and spend a lot of money when it can be mailed directly to him and the product lasts.
https://www.newbreedmarketing.com/blog/7-examples-of-strong-brand-positioning-and-why-they-work
October 1st, 2019 at 3:22 pm
I found this whole video to be interesting but what I found most interesting was the ladder that they used to describe the ranks of certain social medias. I liked that they used this ladder because it made a lot of sense when categorizing and ranking topics, like different social medias. When creating something, like they said in the video, you want to try to be at the first two rungs of the ladder, so you don’t get mixed up in the mess of everyone else who had the same idea as you. Being in the first two rungs of the ladder means that your brand of whatever you are creating is popular in the market, and often times people think of your brand first when thinking, categorizing, and ranking their favorite brands. One of my favorite brands is Starbucks and I do think that this ranks at the top of the ladder when it comes to coffee brands. Starbucks is so popular around the world, everyone knows about Starbucks because of their strong advertising and popularity. In 2018, Starbucks reported of having 29,324 stores world wide! I would say Starbucks is at the top rung and Dunkin Donuts is the second rung, because when someone asks where do you like to get coffee, the answer is usually either Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/218366/number-of-international-and-us-starbucks-stores/
October 1st, 2019 at 7:45 pm
I think this video as whole was interesting, after watching it I found myself trying to come up with a list of what social media sites came up in my head first, and I believe that what the video said was true. That everyones list is going to be different and I find that very interesting and intriguing because overall their positioning on the market has to do with the consumers. One of my favorite brands is Michael Kors. I mostly enjoy their purses and wallets. Michael Kors succeeded because it was one of the first retailers to hit the right market, it targeted t people that were not rich but had the money to spend.Some of the variables used for segmenting the market where the demographics, psychographic and geographic. Under demographic segmentation, Michael Kors targets the people with income between $100,000 and $250,000. Michael Kors is successful because it is a popular luxury brand that had not targeted people with the most money but people who could afford their merchandise while not going broke. Michael Kors is a very popular brand in some of the most prestigious cities in the world including New York, Beverly Hills, Chicago, London, and Milan. Michael Kors is at the top of the ladder when it comes to prestigious brands for sunglasses, glasses, watches, shoes, purses, wallets, and bags because of their target market they have choose and continued to succeed with the same plan.
https://www.marketing91.com/marketing-strategy-of-michael-kors/
October 1st, 2019 at 11:03 pm
I found it really interesting when they pointed out that Pinterest and LinkedIn knew that they probably wouldn’t be able to surpass Facebook or Twitter, but knew how to position themselves into being a go to source for a certain type of category instead. They used their main purposes of their sites as a way to define themselves and make themselves the top of their ladder in that category. Chipotle is one of my favorite restaurants to go to. When you think quick and easy “Mexican” styled food, for the longest time you would have though about Taco Bell. However, Chipotle used their brand positioning as a way to promote the high-quality of their food. They emphasized their ingredients and their authenticity of those ingredients, which made them look a lot better than that of the “mystery” meat of taco bell. They used their brand positioning to set them apart from similar restaurants. The link I provided is Chipotle’s website, where they talk about their fresh ingredients, and how they only want the best for their customers.
https://www.chipotle.com/food-with-integrity
October 2nd, 2019 at 7:41 pm
I think the most interesting part of the video is that they explain that even though LinkedIN and Pinterest are at the bottom rungs of the “Social Media” latter, they are still at the top of the latter a more defined level. LinkedIN is at the top of business related social media and Pinterest is at the top for crafts, recipes, and creative ideas. Tesla is a very interesting company that I like and they positioned themselves nicely. They are lower on the latter when just talking about car manufacturers, but when talking about electric cars, they immediately jump to the top and are always in the news. I think being able to be at the top in a more specific latter is important since it can be very difficult to jump rungs on a broad category unless a major change/improvement happens. The site below talks more in depth about how to brand and position your brand to where you want to be.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/briansutter/2016/05/06/easy-tips-on-how-to-create-a-brand-position-for-your-product-or-service/#44a36fe10732
October 2nd, 2019 at 8:41 pm
Most interesting was the tactic the video used to emphasize the need to differentiate from the market. If you’re not on the top of the latter, you need to find a way to be at the top of another latter and that’s okay. The latter was a great analogy to use. One of my favorite brands is The Honest Company by Jessica Alba. As a mother of three children (now 6, 5 and 4 years old) you can imagine how important it was at one point of my life to find diapers and baby products I could trust. You may have heard the horror stories of other diaper brands having sharp objects or mold, and as a mom I wanted to make sure I new exactly what I was putting on my children. The Honest Company differentiated themselves from competition and in the market by advocating transparency and quality. At the top of their agenda was honesty in what was going into the products they produce and the health and well-being of customers. On top of that, they also give back to the community by donating diapers to mothers in need and can relate to mothers and families everywhere. Social responsibility is important to them. As out materials this week stated, when it comes to price and quality, there is a give and take, what am I willing to give up? There are many cheaper brands than The Honest Company, but I feel that the quality I get is worth the difference.
https://www.honest.com/honest-standard
October 3rd, 2019 at 8:45 am
I found it interesting that companies like Pinterest where smart and started a new position. When you compare Facebook to Pinterest, they are so different. I found an article on Market Segmentation, it break down into 4 types, Geographic, Demographic, Psychographic, and Behavioral. I chose the company The Children’s Place, I buy a lot of my kids clothes there. The prices are right and they have a lot of designs that interest kids, for instance my daughter loves unicorns. There are so many different items that have unicorns on it, from shirts to shoes, even accessories. I think The Children’s place fits perfectly into the Psychological Segmentation, there thinking of the lifestyles that fit children.
https://learn.g2.com/market-segmentation
October 3rd, 2019 at 4:08 pm
One thing that I found interesting about this video was how companies like Linked In and Pinterest knew they couldn’t compete with Facebook on the social media ladder. So instead, they created a new ladder to better position themselves. LinkedIn is known as a more professional, business networking site which would put itself at the top of the ladder for that specific category. Pinterest is known for decor/DIY projects. When asked social media sites with crafts, decor, DIY projects, Pinterest is most likely to be the first site that pops into your head – at least it is for me. As stated in the video, “If you’re not in the top two rungs of your category, then you are missing out on a lot of opportunity.” If you find yourself in this situation, it is recommended to create a new position for your brand. One of my favorite brands is Victoria’s Secret. I think it is safe to say that Victoria’s Secret falls in the top two rungs of a ladder for Woman’s Lingerie. I like Victoria Secret for their sport wear; such as tanktops, leggings and sports bras. However when asked to think of most popular sports clothing lines, Victoria;s Secret is most likely not the first brand to pop into peoples mind – which is why the focus on advertising more of their lingerie vs the sports wear.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/victorias-secret-market-share-sinks-as-online-brands-grow-2019-05-20
October 3rd, 2019 at 4:37 pm
What I found most interesting from this video was about categorizing and ranking. I have taken tests before relating to the ladder and how the mind categorizes everything and why you think of specific items first etc.
So I thought of my favorite brands in terms of grocery stores. My favorite grocery stores are Aldi’s and Pick ‘n Save. I love Aldi’s because the groceries are affordable, produce is always great, and you have to be a responsible shopper there since you need to provide your own bags, quarter to get a cart, and you have to put the cart away. I love all those traits of Aldis. I love Pick ‘n Save because they have great produce and meat selection, and also great sales.
In the article I tagged here, Aldi’s is #4 out of 22, which is pretty great considering the big, name brand and fancy grocery stores out there. I think Aldi’s uniquely positions themselves from their competitors because they give you a unique experience, and give back the community. They don’t use plastic bags, which I LOVE, and is very important considering our current planet state.
The store is employee owned. They aren’t paying employees to put carts away, or work in the deli department. Those workers do every task inside the store, but a lot falls onto the shopper. Which at first may not appear to particular demographics, but to shoppers who are conscious of their environment and community it’s the perfect scenario.
https://www.businessinsider.com/best-grocery-stores-in-america-2018-6#5-h-e-b-18
October 3rd, 2019 at 5:43 pm
The thing I found to be most interesting about this video was simply stated in the beginning: order matters. I never put much thought to the importance of the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions something. It is weird to think that our mind is always putting together categories and then ranking the information within that category. The goal of positioning is to be the very first brand to come to someones mind (in that category)—to be the top rung of the ladder. One of my favorite brands, that I always love to talk about, is on the top rung of their ladder. Electric cars. First brand that comes to mind: Tesla. Tesla is the most well-known and most talked about brand of electric cars. They can’t compete as far as price, but they compete with futures such as long range and luxury electric. Unlike brands that try to compete with Tesla, their focus is only on electric cars. Other brands selling electric cars often get overlooked due to the gas cars they are better known for.
https://www.edmunds.com/electric-car/
October 3rd, 2019 at 6:32 pm
I found the concept of positioning in marketing to be very interesting. When someone brings up social media sites, the first three that come to mind are Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I like how LinkedIn and Pinterest were aware of the strengths of the other companies so they changed their position. It is true that I do think of those brands in the situations that were mentioned, and they have been able to create successful companies because of this. The brand I have chosen to talk about is Tesla. They have been able to position themselves well by selling themselves as a luxury brand. The URL that I have linked to is a from 2015, but I think the main point of the article is still very relevant. The sales will be lower than some of the others in the auto industry, but the price of the car will make up a great deal of revenue. They position their cars as unique, and it helps them be as successful as they are.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2015/07/02/teslas-unique-position-in-the-car-market-is-one-of-its-biggest-strengths/#c3ec07f3ad7f
October 3rd, 2019 at 9:00 pm
Something that I found interesting from the video was the categorization ranking part. I found it interesting how LinkedIn and Pinterest knew they were not going to be able to be bigger than Facebook or Instagram so they created their own position where they became one of the main brands. A brand that I really like is Uber. I like Uber because of how convenient it is to get rides and they are in mostly every area in the US. I also like that it gives you the option of choosing different types of vehicles and that it gives you an estimate of how much your ride will cost. I think that Uber can relate to LinkedIn and Pinterest in a way because they knew they did not want to just be another taxi service. Like LinkedIn and Pinterest they created a new market which was different from the traditional taxi business but still had a good business model and were able to be one of the leaders in their category.
October 3rd, 2019 at 9:03 pm
Here is my article that explains the brand positioning of Uber.
https://www.figmints.com/blog/5-companies-that-differentiated-in-crowded-markets-with-brand-strategy/
October 3rd, 2019 at 9:36 pm
For me the most interesting part of this video is the constant war that brands are waging over market share. Every brand wants to be at the top of their segment with control over the largest market share and to do this they are constantly competing with each other. Brands across every industry are constantly fighting for their position in the market. This is especially true for the light duty truck market which has a cult like following. Personally, my favorite brand of truck is Dodge Ram who has recently repositioned itself as a luxury brand and family vehicle as well as a rugged work truck. Ram realized that they were missing out on a large number of consumers who were primarily using their trucks for every day driving and errands so they started focusing more in this segment. To do this they have added options like coil overs in-place of leaf springs for a smoother ride and upgraded luxury interiors which has paid dividends for Ram in recent years. The link below is to a Forbes article which goes deeper into some of the actions that Ram has taken to reposition itself in the market and command a larger share of the market.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/trucksdotcom/2016/03/28/ram-trucks-gains-on-rivals/#71793f65719a
October 4th, 2019 at 6:57 pm
What I found most interesting about the video was the concept of your mind storing things in various categories and sadly that social media is one of them. It is for me, so I was not surprised by that. I found it interesting that LI and Pinterest knew they couldn’t compete with FB and IG so they paved their own way. For me, I find myself ranking IG first and Pinterest as second… I am almost 34 and am over Facebook and only used LI when I created the account for another business class. I am interested in looking for survey data to see how the ranking and categories are different and if the variance is generation, gender or something else.
I found this (old-ish) article on CNN that takes the reader through the history and transformation of, yes Amazon (I know- I am that one who keeps posting about Amazon) It takes you through their takeover and how their rapidly expanding their market. I think their position statement says it best, “Our vision is to be the earth’s most customer-centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online” I think that could not be more true, they started with customers signing up for 2-day shipping with one simple annual fee, now you can order and pick up almost anything on auto ship or as needed. There are pop up stores that you don’t need to wait in long lines to get yourself a granola bar or phone charger you simply scan the item and get on your way.
https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2018/10/business/amazon-history-timeline/index.html
October 4th, 2019 at 11:10 pm
I found a couple things interesting about this video. First, was how we evaluate social media sites or any other product for that matter on a subconscious level without even knowing it. When I think about it, I tend to name off bigger brands even though I may like an off brand better. A big reason for that has to do with all the marketing I see for companies like Nike or Under Armour. I would put Reebok up there with the best as far as clothing goes. Next, I am indifferent with them when they mention that if you’re not in the top tier of your broad category, you should then consider a new position for your brand. That all depends on what brand or category your entering in to. For example, if that brand is social media and has sites like Facebook, then maybe it would be best to switch, but if your entering into a brand with a lot of newcomers in the top tier then you should feel confident to be able to compete with those brands.
One of my favorite brands is Apple. I like them for several reasons but the first couple reasons that come to mind is that they are very user friendly and are safer with protecting your privacy than other similar brands. Apple targets the ages of 22-55, men or women, and the medium to high income individual. In this article they say that Apple positions themselves as a luxury brand that carries a huge emotional connection and loyalty among its customers. Their three core beliefs are innovation, design, and imagination and they try to display that through every new product they produce. Apple has become a cash cow in the market, and they have more than enough money to be spun into different products or investments that need it.
http://heartofcodes.com/positioning-of-apple/
October 4th, 2019 at 11:19 pm
What I found interesting about this video is how the mind automatically orders, categorizes and ranks information. Realizing this companies strive to be on the top of their industry ladder and ultimately own the market. If a company is not on the top two rungs of their ladder, then they are missing out on an opportunity and should consider creating a new ladder with a new position much like LinkedIn and Pinterest did. These companies wanted to be in a position to succeed without competing with companies in which they may be somewhat alike but drawing different customers. Therefore, they created new ladders with different categories in which they could occupy the top rung. It is as though good marketing needs to be cognizant of the science of psychology..
Coca Cola is one of my favorite brands if I am in the market for a caffeinated beverage. Coca Cola is sold in more than 200 countries. In fact, 60% of its revenue comes from outside the U.S. In an effort to address the more health conscious the company has expanded to also sell sparkling beverages. Coke has strong brand recognition throughout the world with the company stating that 94% of population around the globe is aware of the red and white Coca Cola logo. Coke’s market share have risen and Pepsi’s have dropped over the last decade. Coca Cola is on the top rung of the cola ladder.
https://www.marketing91.com/marketing-strategy-of-coca-cola/.
October 5th, 2019 at 2:46 pm
The most compelling segment from the video was the creation of two new social media platforms like LinkedIn and Pinterest against the most popular social media in the market, Facebook. The creators of these two new companies knew that they needed to be at the top, or at the top of the ladder like the video describes it, of social media websites. Even though Facebook conquered the social media platform and needless to say it keeps being the only indestructible social media in the world, the creators of these two new social media platforms decided to create something new for customers in the social media platform. LinkedIn and Pinterest positioned in the social media platform as the leading business and recipes and crafts social media platforms respectively. Facebook may be resourceful for making business connection and finding recipes; however, customers go to LinkedIn and Pinterest to look for in-depth resources targeting to their needs.
One of my current favorite brands is T-Mobile. This company has positioned in the market as one of the companies that can pay their customer’s Netflix subscription. I think this a huge incentive for customers who want to save up some extra bucks on their Netflix subscription. Also, T-Mobile offers a lot of perks or even more like Verizon. I believe given incentives to customer like paying for your favorite streaming videos and giving free items can positioned a company as the preferred cell phone carrier in the market.
https://www.t-mobile.com/brand/benefits
October 5th, 2019 at 10:38 pm
Class,
What I found most interesting about the Social Media video was the idea of a different ladder. It wasn’t that Facebook was being challenged at what they do best, but it was about creating an entirely different platform for people to communicate on. The video hits all five major social media platforms and it was interesting to see that each one is where it is because of their positioning among each other. I’m not huge into social media but I do want to discuss WhatsApp which provides encrypted messaging. WhatsApp is accepted globally, and it has a very large customer base. Their stance on encrypted end-to-end chat communication is what I find interesting and appealing. We live in an era that data is not protected, and personal data is widely abused by private and public sectors. Having the ability to have encrypted communication positions WhatsApp in that next era of gaining privacy back. Facebook has recently been in the news about the debate on if they will encrypt their messaging communication. I even read this morning that the FBI is urging Facebook to not encrypt because it will cover communications for human trafficking. There is always a different angle to be thinking of when it comes to privacy and security.
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/encryption-whatsapp-facebook-apple-imessage-priti-patel-william-barr-a9030046.html
October 6th, 2019 at 2:11 pm
What I found interesting was how companies can adapt to the business world around them. If one of their competitors has a claimed a certain market they must adapt and as in the video change their position in the market. LinkedIn would not have survived if had tried being more like Facebook bud they changed their brand into a more business friendly site. They now thrive in that market much like Pinterest. They own the recipe, arts and crafts market. Many companies do this some successful some not it all just depends on where they decide to go with it.
One of my favorite brands is Nike, they share the market with many other clothing and shoe brand giants. This make it difficult to come up with new ideas and they have always striven to create the next big thing. Another one of my favorite companies is the home cooked meal company Hamburger Helper. They are well known for being cheap but good easy meals. Both companies are very different but are similar in positioning. Both have competent competitors.
October 6th, 2019 at 2:36 pm
What I found most interesting in the video is how each social platform is postioned the later. Over time the ranking and category of the platform changes. I personally use twitter and instagram way more than facebook. This video was made in 2015. Now facebook would be way lower on the ladder. Twitter and instagram would be at the top. I found it interesting how smart the people of Linkedin and pinterest were they knew they weren’t going to dethrone anyone. They created their own market. Which is very crafty and smart. if you don’t fit in anywhere, fit in in your own category. They made their own market in which they could dominate. I found a url that shows how many use twitter on a monthly basis. 330 million people use twitter monthly and 500 million tweets are sent per day. Twitter also creates a lot of revenue. Their quarter 2 revenue reached 841 million dollars.
https://www.omnicoreagency.com/twitter-statistics/
October 6th, 2019 at 4:47 pm
The main thing that I found interesting in this video is that everyone will name off social media sites in a different order. I also thought that the idea of LinkedIn and Pinterest was interesting. I thought that this was interesting because a lot of people still consider both LinkedIn and Pinterest to be relatively high on the social media outlet ladder, but they are different from Instagram, Facebook and Twitter essentially making their own ladders.
One of my favorite brands is The North Face. I absolutely love their cold weather jackets, backpacks and sweatshirts. In my opinion, this brand is relatively high on the clothing brand ladder. I believe that this is a high positioned brand because their items are generally made with higher quality and many students have their backpacks and other clothing items. The North Face has also expressed their dedication to preserving and improving the environment. Since this brand is popular and involved in community, they stay relevant and at the top of the ladder.
The article below explains the research and testing that went into one of their newest additions.
https://www.insidehook.com/article/gear/the-north-face-spent-three-years-testing-its-most-advanced-fabric-yet
October 6th, 2019 at 5:25 pm
As a few others have mentioned, I found the ladder analogy for social media site rankings to be interesting. The video mentioned that LinkedIn knew it couldn’t “dethrone” Facebook as a top social media platform. They positioned themselves as the corporate/professional social media website, and to my knowledge, they own that position entirely. However, it’s interesting to think of Facebook as the top dog because I feel like the ladder presented in this video is shifting. Personally, I use Instagram and Pinterest the most, but I feel like there is an increasing popularity with Instagram and that it will (if it hasn’t already) surpass Facebook in popularity. That being said, Instagram is positioned differently than Facebook. It focuses more on visuals like photos and videos.
A brand I really love is Ikea. Ikea has positioned themselves in the global market as an attractive yet affordable home furnishings store. Their stores are strategically displayed so you can stand in a mock up of your dream home. The products at Ikea vary in quality. They have both higher end and lower end products, serving a rather broad segment. However, their build it yourself model markets them to a consumer who is willing to put in the work in order to purchase a low cost item.
The blog post below lists 7 smart reasons to shop at Ikea stores, suggesting that the consumer is smart and price conscious, yet attracted to the store’s modern style:
https://lifestyle.allwomenstalk.com/smart-reasons-to-shop-at-ikea/
October 6th, 2019 at 9:43 pm
The most interesting thing I found in this little video was that I thought of the first three social media sites in the same order as the video stated. I am not even much of a social media butterfly. I only have a Facebook account, not Twitter or Instagram.
This made me think of one of my favorite brands, Spotify. It is positioned in the market as one of the top-rated music streaming services. In fact, if you do a google search, it is the first site that comes up after the ad/preferred sites. It is my favorite as I can get a student premium account for only $4.99 per month and it includes Hulu. That was the reason that I started using it. I quickly learned though that it has a download feature that you can then listen to anything that is downloaded without using your internet connection.
The other great feature as my link also comments on is the Discover Weekly. I have a large taste in music and sometimes have a hard time wanting to listen to new things. I love Discover Weekly because it really gets my taste in music and mixes in new music, that sometimes I like and sometimes I don’t, with music I like the most.
https://www.businessinsider.com/spotify-discover-weekly-sets-spotify-apart-2016-2
October 6th, 2019 at 10:17 pm
The thing I found most interesting in the video is that businesses need to come up with their own position to be able to be the number 1 option of that specific area. I think this is important to have a successful business because you want people to think of your brand when they think of that specific area that one’s business is apart of. This is why I thought the example they used Pinterest and LinkedIn was perfect when comparing them to Facebook. One of my favorite brands is Nike and they created a new position when the brand first took shape by appealing to athletes and using athletes to promote their brand. They also use phrases such as “Just Do It’ to motivate and be an inspiration to the target audiences. Nike has slowly shifted to have just about everything and that means that they have something for everybody even if they are not an athlete. Their shift to lifestyle clothing and shoes is a great example of that. http://heartofcodes.com/positioning-of-nike/
October 6th, 2019 at 11:21 pm
This video introduced a completely different thought process for me when determining the way companies exist in different markets. Looking at different markets after watching this video, there are many products and services that I see everyday that are extremely successful because they repositioned their product that caters to a more specific target market within a larger market. One of my favorite brands is GoPro. They provide some of the coolest footage and videos that we all see every day whether it’s on YouTube, Instagram, or anywhere else. With that, what has allowed them to be so successful over the years is the capabilities of the camera’s construction. While GoPro produces quality that is paralleled to some of the highest quality cameras, it edges those companies in their ability to be submerged in water; attached to helmets, chest mounts, handlebars, drones, sticks, etc. So basically, why they knew that as a camera, their product wouldn’t be set apart from the competition, they developed a camera that not only matched the quality of a lot of competitors but also could go places that no other camera could go. The focus of the product development was more on the user and ability to take it anywhere versus the camera quality.
https://mashable.com/2013/03/05/gopro-camera/
October 7th, 2019 at 11:19 am
The most interesting thing I found about this video is how different companies/brands can open up a new ladder more specific to their products/services. The original ladder in the video was almost exactly like mine, however when they mentioned “business related social media” and “recipe and craft social media” my mind instantly thought of LinkedIn and Pinterest. The thought never occurred to me that brands could create a new position by creating a new ladder. However, after watching this video, many brands popped into my mind that are successful because of how they changed their position on the ladder.
One of my favorite brands is Apple. Apple is an electronic brand that sells everything from phones, tablets, and laptops. Apple is constantly coming out with new models and updates on all of their devices. Apple is an extremely successful brand/company and is most known for their iPhone which creates more than 10 times the profit as Samsung phones. Apple’s ladder might be categorized as “Electronic Brands/Companies.”
https://www.lifewire.com/what-makes-apple-so-special-and-desirable-2373223
October 7th, 2019 at 11:37 am
The most interesting thing that stood out to me while watching the video was the idea that we are always categorizing and ranking. This made me think more about how I am subconsciously ranking and categorizing certain brands or companies. I either categorize or rank them based on what I have learned, seen or even personal experience from them. The idea that everyone’s ladder is set up a little different is important to also understand. Gender and age play a larger role in how the ladder is ranked. For example, females are more likely to rank Pinterest at a higher step on the ladder than males. One of my favorite brands is Oreo because they are delicious and never disappoint with the endless flavors. According to the article, “Oreos are, by far, the best-selling cookies in the world”. I think that everyone knows what an Oreo is and has at least tried one within their lifetime. Oreo would be on the top step or near the top of the food and snack brand ladder.
https://qz.com/342782/the-incredible-staying-power-of-the-oreo-cookie/
October 7th, 2019 at 11:57 am
I think the thing I found most interesting about the video was the bit about carving out your own niche in the market. Pinterest and LinkedIn don’t stand a chance against the social media giants of Facebook and Twitter, but by finding their own unique market, they’ve managed to become number one in their category. Pivoting how you advertise or develop a given product, in an attempt to capture and un-targeted market is something that I like looking into. The process of a product or service changing slightly over time, in order to become a more effective product is one of the most interesting parts of product development. One of my favorite brands, Magic The Gathering, got lucky in its position in the market, in the sense that it created the market in the first place. Being the first collectible card game, differentiating itself from baseball cards, it managed to hook people, creating a market where there previously was none. Since then, over the past 25 years, the brand has managed to stay on top as the premier, top shelf product in the “TCG”, or Trading Card Game, market.
https://icv2.com/articles/markets/view/43736/top-collectible-games-spring-2019
October 7th, 2019 at 1:27 pm
What I found the most interesting from this video was how businesses can reposition themselves to be on the top rung of the ladder. An example I can use on how a business is positioned is one of my favorite clothing brands, Shein. Shein is an online clothing store based in China that sells trendy and quality clothes for basically a steal! As a college student who is (1) broke and (2) obsessed with shopping, this store has been my one-stop-shop for whenever I have a need for retail therapy. Because fashion trends are always changing, they need to market to consumers who want to be cute and trendy but do not want to pay high dollar for clothing items that are not going to be in style in a couple of months. So I would have to say that they are pretty high up on the “ladder” when it comes to online clothing retailers.
https://us.shein.com/?aff_id=7319&site=30559-1944729-2698
October 7th, 2019 at 4:57 pm
I had the pleasure of running a social media business for a few years. What I found most interesting about the video is how it talked about the ladder of social media sites. For me Twitter ranks first but for many individuals I’ve worked with and provided consultation for many don’t even know how Twitter works, Facebook is all they know.
Now Facebook isn’t my favorite brand, but I would like to discuss how they are positioned in the market. Facebook, with its 2.4 billion users has lock on the market for being the most used of social media sites. But with discussion of breaking up Facebook so they don’t have as much power over data and social marketing brings up an excellent point. Would Facebook still be at the top of the ladder when it comes to digital marketing?
My thought process is no. For those who don’t know there is a distinct order of power when it comes to posting on Facebook. Live video ranks highest, followed by recorded video, followed by photos, and then last are words (people don’t like to read much anymore). So for example when you make a post at a live concert, that post will show up in most of your friends feeds at some point in a 24 hour period but if you were to write “I went to a great concert,” it will not show up in many people’s feeds at all.
So, to my point what happens if Facebook is ordered to break up? Well first the market share of 2.4 billion users are going to get segmented up. Thereby weakening their position and power in the marketplace. I imagine there are many of you who have already jettisoned Facebook for Instagram. So, in this instance they have already lost part of their market share to themselves for people who are more visually focused. Now imagine that over their whole platform. A Facebook video segment, a Facebook photo segment, a Facebook marketplace, and finally Facebook crypto segment (Libra).
Zuckerberg threaten to sue if there is an effort to break the company up. Think about all the work Facebook has done to position themselves to have 2.4 billion monthly users over all aspects of their platform. Now think about someone threatening to break that all up. Facebook might have been better off to position themselves with individual segments of the market from the get-go. But they had no idea how successful they would be.
https://www.bu.edu/articles/2019/break-up-big-tech/
October 7th, 2019 at 10:05 pm
I think the most interesting outcome of this segmentation and positioning video is that all companies that want to consistently generate sales need to stay up with the newest social media platforms. Instagram has grown exponentially since its launch. More and more opportunity for ad placements are being created for Instagram whether consumers like it or not. At the end of the day these platforms are free to use so no harm there. No company can settle and be content.
Corona is a great brand that identifies well with tropical dream destinations, relaxation, and being social. Corona’s fun filled identity allows so much creatively and new ways to innovate market strategy. The biggest competitor to Corona is Budweiser. Corona is a Mexican beer that has taken over globally but does not own majority of the overall market. Social media wise, Corona is very relevant buying spots for ad placement across all different digital platforms.
https://unmetric.com/brands/corona
October 7th, 2019 at 10:23 pm
I liked how the video explained the different segments in the social media market and the visual of each segment’s position. When I think of social media, I do not think of LinkedIn and Pinterest. I think of SnapChat, Facebook, Instagram, and all the other new apps like Yolo and TikToc that I can’t even keep up with. It seems like there is a new social media app that my 14 year old is downloading each week and I cannot even keep track. On the other hand, LinkedIn and Pinterest have a different purpose compared to the previous apps I had mentioned. LinkedIn is a network of business professionals, helping people network and find careers. What I find unique about the social media market is that it is constantly changing. It is easy for someone to create a new platform to try to enter the market. In addition, the platforms that are positioned at the top are constantly looking for ways to remain on the top by adding services, or trying to make it more interesting.
One of my favorite brands is StitchFix. They are a clothing subscription service and are positioned at the top. They have been around the longest and are continually trying to keep up with the market. The recently added a plus size selection, children’s wardrobe, and men’s services. Their goal is to become the only clothing subscription service for the whole family, to service all of your clothing needs.
https://www.businessinsider.com/best-online-styling-service-women
October 7th, 2019 at 10:25 pm
In my opinion, the most interesting part of the video is how businesses look to position themselves on the ladder. It was interesting to see how different businesses have to approach the market. I liked the example with Facebook being the top of social media, a different platform has to take a different approach because they aren’t going to overtake Facebook. They need to create their own lane to be successful, rather than trying to be the new Facebook. One of my favorite brands would definitely be Nike. Nike is linked to all sports and represents many great athletes and teams. With the prominent figures that Nike has and the sports that it dominates, it’s safe to say that Nike is definitely at the top of the ladder in terms of athletic clothing and popularity. https://today.yougov.com/topics/consumer/explore/brand/Nike
October 7th, 2019 at 10:29 pm
The video about positioning in marketing specifically focusing on social media was very interesting. I would argue that the most interesting part of the video was how it touches on that even though Pinterest and LinkedIn were not at the top of the social media ladder, they were very smart in their marketing positioning. They knew that they could not surpass Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, so they made new ladders where they could be at the top. LinkedIn would be at the top for business-related social media sites, and Pinterest would be at the top for recipes and crafts on social media.
As for one of my favorite brands, I am going to look at cars for my example. I like Toyotas, if I were to buy a new car it would be a Toyota because of how reliable they are. Here is a funny craigslist ad for a guy trying to sell his Toyota Corolla that proves just how reliable Toyotas are. It can’t get much more reliable than a Toyota Corolla.
https://www.craigslist.org/about/best/hou/6565526716.html
https://www.toyota.com/
October 7th, 2019 at 10:49 pm
The part of the video that I found most interesting was how social media markets like Linked In and Pinterest created a different strategy in positioning. It was fascinating to see that the aforementioned platforms realized that they weren’t going to be able to top Facebook and Twitter. So they instead created their own categories such as in Linked In’s case creating a positioning system that would place them at the top of social platforms in job searching and creation. It shows that to be successful, a company most think outside the box. They must market to select kinds of people while also positioning themselves as leaders in their own category.
One of my favorite brands is Canon. This company seeks to create professional and consumer grade imaging that is innovative and seeks to better the world. More people gravitate now it seems towards Go Pros especially for live action shots. Cannon however, creates items not just for high quality images or videos, but also for innovation medical and printing equipment. Cannon still however remains at the top of the ladder in photography because of their top of the line camera’s and camcorders that are still popular amongst many professional broadcasting organizations.
https://www.marketing91.com/top-camera-brands/
https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/about/innovation/
October 7th, 2019 at 10:50 pm
The methods in which a company can be proactive in attaining the top category of their market share is interesting indeed. Normally in thinking about what market space your business occupies, much thought is often devoted to comparing oneself to other (likely larger) competitors, making many of the decisions geared toward emulating their strategies. This does, of course, open the door to being seen as inherently unoriginal, an outcome successful market positioning helps to overcome. The car vin history research tool “VinWiki” is a decent proponent of this theory because while easily compared to a service such as CarFax, VinWiki is crowd-sourced, and caters mostly to exotic cars rather than daily drivers, making them a higher tier service in their segment.
https://vinwiki.com/
October 7th, 2019 at 11:16 pm
The examples of LinkedIn and Pinterest creating their own positions rather than trying to compete directly with larger social media like Facebook and Twitter were most interesting to me. Creating new positioning in markets is what helped these two platforms become as successful as they did. These new positions not only benefit companies, but consumers as well. People get more variety in their products and services when companies create new ladders as mentioned in the video. A brand that I have been really interested in is Function of Beauty. With the large amount of hair care products available, Function of Beauty stands out with their personalized products. Customers can visit their website and complete a questionnaire about their hair type, hair goals, and even product fragrance and color. This company set out to make personalized hair products that better suit the needs of individuals rather than creating a standard hair care line. Function of Beauty provides a unique service that many top hair care brands do not.
https://www.inc.com/sonya-mann/best-industries-2018-function-of-beauty.html
October 8th, 2019 at 8:46 pm
The most interesting thing I found was that different brands recognize the market they’re in and have to adapt their strategy to fit into a new section of that market. For instance, the video mentioned that Pinterest and LinkedIn realized they were no match for major social media sites like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, so they had to develop a new niche within social media to make a meaningful presence. One brand that comes to mind when thinking about this is Nike, specifically their golfing line. Nike used to be a major producer of golf apparel and equipment for a number of the worlds top golfers, including Tiger Woods. However, brands such as TaylorMade, Titleist, and Ping began to hone in on the technological side of their equipment, leaving Nike in the dust. Once Nike started to lose their top PGA Tour players to other companies, they decided to stop making their sponsored players use their clubs and instead focused their attention on the apparel, which they had a clear competitive advantage over the other brands.
https://www.linksmagazine.com/what_happens_to_the_nike_pros/