To kick off Positioning, we’re covering the bedrock of all marketing communication – The Marketing Mix.

While there are many definitions, marketing can be boiled down to "putting the right product in the right place, at the right price, at the right time." Through understanding and aligning the pillars of Product, Price, Promotion, and Place, you can create a sales and communication strategy set up for success. This means that when your customer is looking for help along their hero's journey, you show up as the perfect guide just in the nick of time. In our example below, we'll be diving into how orchestrating a strategic Marketing Mix will help position your brand as your customer's ideal guide.

The Four Pillars

Click on each Pillar below to discover more

P Product

P Price

P Promotion

P Place

Complete exercise and fill in Slide 2.1 of your Brand Guidelines

Put pen to paper and brainstorm

Describe your market. As you think through your market and market size, keep in mind that the smaller your market, the more targeted your branding can be, and the larger your market, the more your brand will need to maintain mass appeal. Neither is better than the other. They just have different branding strategies. On one hand, if your brand will need to cater to the masses, it's important to make sure your brand feels as inclusive and accessible as possible. On the other hand, if your market is much more niche, your branding can be specifically tailored to resonate within that market. The masses might not understand your branding, but your niche audience will love it.

Put pen to paper and brainstorm

Describe your offering or range of offerings. Think about what makes your offering unique.

Put pen to paper and brainstorm

What is the price range of your offerings and how will this affect your branding? The main thing to keep in mind is that if your price point is competitive for your industry, you have more options for how to present your brand. At a low price point, your branding can feel more casual or luxurious, and customers will still be willing to pay for your products. That said, if your pricing is on the higher end of your industry, your branding will need to feel credible / elevated in order to command that premium price point. This doesn’t mean your brand can’t still feel welcoming and fun, but you’ll need to give your business credibility through things like creating a luxury look for your brand, getting approval of your work from industry thought leaders, focusing on telling the story of your offering’s exceptional quality, etc.

Put pen to paper and brainstorm

List the channels you are using to distribute your product or service. Begin to think about how each distribution channel might affect your branding. For example, if you’re a brand who primarily sells skincare products through luxury spas, maybe you’ll want to focus your branding efforts on explaining the more technical side of your product ingredients, creation process, sourcing methods, etc. That said, if you were that same skincare line and only sold direct-to-consumer, you might focus your time on communicating your product benefits in a way that feels much more conversational, bite-sized, and accessible for the everyday consumer.

Put pen to paper and brainstorm

List your methods for promoting your business. One of the biggest benefits to creating your Brand Guidelines, is that it helps to keep all your communication unified even as you need to adjust to each marketing channel. This process is called Integrated Marketing Communication – analyzing how you will keep your brand story and experience consistent across all promotional channels.

MARKET:

Describe your market (i.e.) Luxury travel accessories.

PRODUCT:

Describe your product and what makes it unique in your market.

PRICE:

Describe your price-range.

PLACE:

List your distribution channels. (i.e.) online store, small boutiques, and direct sales.

PROMOTION:

See Our Client Example For 2.1 Marketing Mix

The Brand: Accoutrmenets LA

Description: Accessories marketplace showcasing contemporary Filipino designers

Click on the tab below for a walkthrough of this example.

Accoutrements LA is a marketplace showcasing contemporary Filipino designers supporting local artisans preserving traditional craftsmanship. First up, when you're selecting your market, try to get as specific as possible. While your products and services might appeal to the masses, carving out a niche helps bring more focus and impact to your brand communication. And these "niches" don't have to be small, local markets. For example, Accoutrements LA narrowed their market down to "contemporary sustainable accessories" which is still near a USD 37.24 billion market (Grand View Research).

As Accoutrements LA is targeting a customer on their hero's journey to become a sustainable and stylish shopper, it's important to define that they differentiate from other retailers (think guides) in the conscious fashion space. By scouting emerging, independent designers who produce in small, limited batches using traditional craftsmanship, Accoutrements LA is able to offer products that can't be found many places elsewhere. When you're looking at the price range of your products you can just list the price range of your products, or select an industry category, like accessible luxury, if it applies. To be noted, if your prices are higher than other brands in your niche, it will be more crucial to create an elevated brand image that commands a higher price point.

Last up, we have place and promotion. This slide is designed for you to see an overview of how you distribute your products or services and your promotional strategy. Depending on your unique Marketing Mix, you can begin thinking through where your customer will be encountering your brand, and how that might shift: 1. Your brand communication style 2. The brand assets you will need such as packaging, website design, social media, etc. (Covered in Phase II: Brand Image & Experience)