Clear Seas Research

Positioning Research

Positioning is the “location” a product or service occupies in the marketplace. Marketers work to build an image or identity – distinct from that of competitors – in the minds of their target market. This process can be focused on a product, a service or the organization’s brand as a whole.

At Clear Seas Research we view positioning research as the process of understanding where a product/service/brand “fits” in the market. We do this by examining the relative position our clients’ products or services currently occupy, or, if it’s a new product/service, what positioning space they CAN occupy.

Understanding the Landscape to Maximize Potential

Tied closely with many other types of strategic research, positioning research enables you to understand exactly where product/service offerings fit (or can fit) in the market, relative to competitive offerings. This knowledge enables you to:

• Compete more effectively with other available products/services
• Reposition your product/service to compete in an available product space
• Eliminate a product offering that is unable to effectively compete in the current market.

Our approach to positioning enables you to answer the following:

• What attributes/imagery currently define the category space and what is the preferred combination in the mind of the target customer?
• How does the target customer perceive products currently occupying the target product/service space?
• Where is each product “located” in the target space today? Are there unfilled positions?
• Where is your product positioned relative to the competition? What space can you own? What space should you go after?
• What messaging is most appropriate to maintain or reposition the product/service/brand to achieve the desired location in the product space?

Clear Seas Research can help you to identify and achieve your desired market position, among competitive offerings, to maximize success in a diverse marketplace.