What is Reverse Positioning ?
Elements of reverse positioning
Although the businesses that employ this strategy may vary depending on their size, sector, and target market, most reverse positioning campaigns contain the following essential components:
What is reverse positioning?
Instead of promoting or talking about an organization’s products, reverse positioning, also referred to as breakaway positioning, appeals to the interests of its target audience. Instead of encouraging viewers to buy a particular product or service, the main objective of this marketing strategy is to raise brand awareness and support consumer approval. These promotional materials may discuss a product’s appearance or functionality, or they may highlight the manufacturing procedure or resources used to create the product. Reverse positioning ads may not contain a call to action or a call to buy, but they may instead work to foster consumer trust.
Benefits of reverse positioning
Reverse positioning marketing can be used by businesses in a variety of industries to inform and educate customers and enhance public perception of their brand. Other benefits of using this marketing strategy include:
Prioritizes consumer relationships
Because the marketing content is entirely focused on what consumers care about and value rather than on selling a product and immediately increasing revenue, reverse positioning encourages businesses to place a higher priority on customer relationships. Marketing experts can start to forge trusting connections between customers and the brand by emphasizing aspects of the business that consumers can benefit from or relate to.
Customers may feel that the company offers them more value as a result, whether or not they decide to make a purchase. Consumer-focused marketing content can help cultivate client relationships and draw in new customers. Client interest in the goods and services that the company provides could increase by providing information and advice that addresses clients’ concerns.
Cultivates brand loyalty and support
Reverse positioning inspires a company to revisit its principles and raise important issues This can demonstrate to customers that the business cares more about supporting its customers and improving their lives than just maximizing revenue and profit. Reverse positioning can motivate customers to become familiar with and interact with a brand at their own pace by demonstrating to them that the brand can continue to deliver consistent value over time.
Customers may feel more naturally connected to the brand as a result, and they may be proud to use, wear, or consume its products. Additionally, brand loyalty may increase the likelihood that customers will refer the business to their friends and coworkers, which means that this tactic may help the business retain existing customers and expand its clientele.
Provides clients with more ways to interact and engage with the organization
Reverse position can give customers more ways to engage with the business and encourage them to learn about its principles and goals whether or not they decide to buy something. Client interest in a business and the goods or services it provides can increase by increasing consumer brand engagement with a company. Consumers can make educated purchases and support businesses that most closely match their interests or beliefs by learning more about various brands. Other marketing strategies might disregard consumer preferences and promote a single good or service rather than first taking the customer’s needs into account.
How to create a reverse positioning strategy
An organization can follow the steps on the following list to develop a reverse positioning strategy:
1. Identify your target audiences values and priorities
Recognize the organization’s target audience and determine what they value in order to start developing a reverse positioning strategy. Examine the issues, tasks, or initiatives that the company prioritizes and take into account the demographics of the company’s clients. Professionals can carry out a variety of market research techniques, such as surveying clients and asking them questions based on their values to find out more about what matters to them.
They can identify issues that consumers frequently face or struggle with through the research process, and then develop a campaign that addresses these problems. For instance, if a business learns that 87% of its customers find it difficult to sleep and feel energized, it might develop a campaign about mindfulness, relaxation, and the value of self-care.
2. Review the companys mission and principles
The company’s mission, values, and guiding principles can then be reviewed and considered by marketing professionals. Some businesses may be concerned about supporting an international cause, like sustainability or equal access to education. Think about what motivated the organization’s founders to create it and the potential impact its clients might experience from its products or services. Consumers may already be influenced by these ideals and may use them as justification for choosing a particular brand when making purchases.
3. Align the organizations beliefs and consumer values
Marketing experts can align and incorporate these beliefs into their organizations’ brand messaging once an organization has identified its guiding principles and consumers’ core values. As a result, they may be more likely to connect with the brand and associate it with ideas and benefits that go beyond its products. This might refocus customers’ attention on the issues they care about rather than the goods or services they can buy, which might improve their opinion of the business.
4. Develop an informative and honest campaign
Marketing experts can produce a range of marketing materials, including infographics for infographics, blog posts, commercials, and social media posts. This content can educate the intended audience about the company’s values and about a specific problem or project. This might include statistical data unrelated to the company and its goods, highlighting the company’s values and mission instead. Professionals can focus on being open and honest to create a meaningful connection between customers and the brand rather than developing an expensive or elaborate campaign.
5. Seek consumer feedback
Professionals can carry out additional market research after launching a reverse positioning campaign to find out how the target audience perceives the campaign. This can assist them in determining the effectiveness of the marketing materials and the elements of the content that most appealed to consumers. This information can affect future branding and enable experts to change the existing materials if necessary.
Can you use reverse positioning in b2b marketing?
Although creating a reverse marketing strategy for a business-to-consumer (B2C) offer may be simpler, businesses can also use it to promote B2B deals. The core elements of reverse positioning include highlighting brand values and lining them up with the beliefs of the company’s target audience to forge a meaningful connection and encourage brand loyalty, regardless of whether the campaign focuses on b2Cor b2b exchanges. Using this marketing strategy in conjunction with their supply chain management strategy may be beneficial for large B2B companies.
Reverse positioning example
An organization can use the reverse positioning marketing strategy, as demonstrated by the following case study, to connect with their target market and align with consumer values and beliefs:
Natural Beauty Cosmetics is interested in developing a reverse marketing campaign, but they’re not sure how to align the brand’s commitment to embracing and enhancing customers’ natural appearance and fostering diversity within the cosmetics industry. The brand’s newsletter subscribers are given access to an online survey by the marketing team, which asks them about their natural appearance, the reasons behind their purchases of cosmetics, and whether they feel comfortable going without makeup. According to the survey results, 80% of consumers find it difficult to feel comfortable without makeup. Then, marketing experts employ this knowledge to develop a campaign for reverse positioning.
They create marketing materials that include images and videos of women taking off their makeup and other cosmetics. Statistics about the importance of confidence and the typical age at which a young woman feels self-conscious without makeup are provided alongside these images. This article emphasizes how customers can wear a single product in multiple ways rather than combining several make-up items, highlighting the sheer beauty of Natural Beauty Cosmetic products. By doing this, the company can connect with customers and convey to them how much they value women’s beauty, both with and without makeup.
FAQ
How many types of positioning are there?
Reverse positioning involves giving a product a distinctive position within its category while maintaining its obvious category membership. A product escapes its category with breakaway positioning by purposefully aligning with another one.
What is surrogate positioning?
Comparative, differentiation, and segmentation are the three categories of positioning strategies.
What are the bases of positioning?
Surrogate positioning refers to the intangible elements of the brand and is a marketing tactic that enables the consumer to draw their own conclusions. This positioning strategy would be appropriate for the use of a claim like “For People who are Still Young at Heart.”
