4 Types of Positioning, from SAP and IBM to Airbnb

4 types of positioning by Floor and Van Raaij:

1. Informational positioning
2. Transformational positioning
3. Two-sided positioning
4. Executional positioning

The goal of positioning is, of course, to connect a set of characteristics and properties to your product or service in such a way that it acquires its own unique place in the mind of the consumer relative to the competition. In other words, your target audience can easily choose you.

There are countless ways to achieve that, and of course, specialists try to create some kind of system for it. This also applies to Floor and Van Raaij, who distinguish 4 forms of positioning in their book Marketing Communication Strategy. We would like to extract those from the abstract and discuss the advantages, disadvantages, and examples of the 4 types of positioning.

Informational positioning

An informational positioning is also known as the ‘problem solver’. Your product or service is essential for solving a problem, and you build the positioning around that. Think of the slogan: “Cleans a mountain, costs a bit”, with which Witte Reus conquered the laundry detergent market. An informational positioning makes it very easy for your customers to think of you when they are confronted with the well-known problem. That convenience is immediately the attraction for marketers. Of the 4 types of positioning, this is also the easiest. (Executing it is another matter, of course).

When might an informational positioning not be the best choice?

If people take a little longer to think before making a purchase. Are you standing in front of the supermarket shelf and looking for a bathroom cleaner? Antikal is easy to find. But if you think a little longer or do some research, you will quickly discover that you can buy a comparable solution for a lot less money. There is little ‘extra’ hidden in the positioning that would still make you choose Antikal.

This is especially relevant if your product or service costs a lot more than an item from the supermarket. People think twice, and then this positioning may not be quite right.

Examples of informational positioning:

1. SAP. ‘Run live, run simple’ focuses on the availability of information, continuous and live, that allows you to make easy (simple) decisions.
2. Independer. ‘We make insuring easy.’ Easy to take a cheaper insurance policy.

Transformational positioning

The transformational positioning is primarily a ‘lifestyle’ positioning in practice. A brand adopts a positioning around the lifestyle or values of its target audience, promising a transformation. Outdoor clothing manufacturer Patagonia takes this to an extreme, even providing employees with “let my people go surfing” time to encourage them to spend time in nature. By linking the brand to the lifestyle and values of its target audience, the brand becomes a real part of it, and this has paid off well; its revenue continues to grow (2013 $600 million). But the most well-known brand with a transformational positioning? Have you ever heard of Coca Cola? ‘Choose happiness’.

When do you give up on the transformational positioning?

That’s simple: when you have to pretend. A company like Patagonia lives and breathes the outdoor lifestyle, and a traditional company simply can’t compete with that. The natural fit with this type of positioning should be anchored in your core values and behavior from the very beginning. If it’s not authentic, your target audience will easily see through it, and you’ll be even further from home.

Examples of transformational positioning

1. Mercedes-Benz: The slogan “Das beste oder nichts” (The best or nothing) says something about the culture of the company as well as its customers. Together, they want the best, and nothing else.
2. McKinsey. The number one in management consulting clearly focuses on the market leaders in various markets and the fundamental questions that these leaders must answer.
3. Zwitserleven. They sell the Zwitserleven feeling, need I say more?

Two-sided positioning

In practice, brands often combine transformational and informational positioning. Our brand solves problem x, allowing you to live lifestyle y. Take Red Bull, for example, which provides you with the necessary energy but at the same time has become part of the extreme sports lifestyle as a brand.

When is a two-sided positioning not for you?

In a traditional B2B market, I don’t see the values/lifestyle positioning gaining much ground. Buyers prefer to keep a bit of distance, and the DMU (Decision Making Unit) is often so complex that it’s difficult to formulate a typical target group whose lifestyle a brand can align with.

Examples of two-sided positioning

1. IBM. Think has stood for the company since 1909 and still holds true. Mental power is still central. The company started with mainframes, moved to personal computing, and now delivers much more abstract mental power.
2. Hewlett-Packard. Make it matter stands for the company’s inventor mentality and the tools the company sells you to create.
3. AirBnB. Easier/cheaper accommodation that also fits your lifestyle.
4. Red Bull, energy and lifestyle.

Executional positioning

With executional positioning, a brand does not link itself to its own product or service, but rather to a campaign. That sounds vague, and it is. The ‘Even Apeldoorn bellen’ (Just call Apeldoorn) campaigns of Centraal Beheer are a good example of this. Bizarre situations for which you would actually like to be insured. The advertisements are undoubtedly better known than the brand.

An executional positioning is not for you.

Examples of executional positioning

1. Maandag. Groen bloed (Green blood). This positioning comes close to it. The staffing agency emphasizes color and then links values to it. But recognition is paramount.
2. Centraal beheer. ‘Even Apeldoorn bellen’ (Just call Apeldoorn) is an icon because of its advertisements, but what exactly can you buy there? Something related to insurance for sure.
3. Levi’s Flatbeat Eric is an example we came across in the literature. A yellow doll and a song that had absolutely nothing to do with Levi’s.

Confession on types of positioning

We actually struggled to find enough examples at times. As we mentioned, Floor and Van Raaij make the types of positioning quite abstract, and it was sometimes difficult to distinguish between them in practice. Hopefully, we have succeeded in informing and maybe even inspiring you, but we also want to learn more. Do you know a good example of a certain type of positioning?

Of course, there are also other forms of positioning, which ones should we focus on next time?

If you want to learn more about positioning and how to get started with it yourself, check out our Positioning page, where you’ll find in-depth articles as well as dozens of examples and models for every possible positioning challenge.