-BRAND POSITIONING-
In Part 2 of this article series we offered a definition of a brand position. Your brand position is that part of your luxury brand identity and promise of value that you must actively communicate to your target market in such a way that it establishes a distinct advantage over your competition. Sharply defining your brand position as a luxury real estate marketing professional is essential!
We explained that Cowgirl Creamery, the Northern California artisan organic cheese maker, is not actually competing with the likes of Kraft cheese. Their target market is sophisticated, discerning consumers, not those who prefer mass-produced products.So, how does Cowgirl Creamery stand out from their direct competitors-other artisan cheese brands who also target sophisticated customers? That is where the fine-tuning of one’s brand positioning comes into play.
People like to do business with people (and companies) who share their values and have compatible personalities. Yes, companies have brand personalities, too! What are some of the qualities that come to mind when you think of a cowgirl?
A cowgirl is a woman who tends cattle. She is a woman with true grit: determination, bravery, tenacity, fortitude, and courage.
If you value these characteristics you certainly can identify with Sue Conley and Peggy Smith the co-founders of Cowgirl Creamery. They both came to San Francisco, “on a hippie trip” in 1976 after completing their degrees at the University of Tennessee and established careers in some of San Francisco’s most famous kitchens.
Their brand story, their background, their provenance in the culinary industry, establishes a brand position of down to earth sophistication. To express the down to earth dimension of their brand, their logo uses a “western” font and a silhouette of a cowgirl on a horse.
To amplify their expertise you can find all of the awards their cheeses have won on their website. To communicate their authoritativeness and also to extend their online offerings beyond their own menu of cheeses, you can find an extensive library of cheeses that the company sells on a wholesale basis.
The entire purpose of clarifying your brand position is to make it quick and easy for your IDEAL CLIENTS OR CUSTOMERS to recognize that you are like them so they will be inclined to do business with you.
On the opposite end of the spectrum of down to earth sophisticated consumers are the highly sophisticated consumers who want to distance themselves from the more down to earth variety. To many this may come across as “snooty” or pretentious. But, this is not necessarily the case.
In the late 1970s through the 80s, The Helmsley Palace Hotel in New York ran an advertising campaign that communicated brilliantly to this segment of the luxury hotel market. In one ad owner, Leona Helmsley, was pictured with the plush Turkish towels they provided to guests with a quote that went something like this: “I would not settle for anything less than the finest Turkish towels, why should you?”
Brand positioning is all about clearly conveying your extraordinary promise of value to your ideal clients with an emphasis on how your value proposition is more advantageous than your competitors’. But, as a luxury real estate marketing professional, how can you get your message to stand out in a sea of very similar communications from your competition. Stay tuned for the answer in Part 4.
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