Drucker on Leadership: New Lessons from the Father of Modern Management

Chapter 22. Applying Positioning to the Organization and the Leader

Positioning is a powerful concept originated by two advertising executives, Al Ries and Jack Trout. Jack Trout first published an article on positioning in 1969.^[225] Three years later Ries and Trout together published a series of articles in Advertising Age called "The Positioning Era." The concept caught on almost immediately, and advertising and marketing executives began to develop positions and positioning slogans for their clients. Positioning has become part of the lexicon of marketing.

The Role of Positioning in Communication

Positioning has to do with the communication process and how to use that process effectively to persuade a target audience. For this reason, the two ...