Kellogg on Branding in a Hyper-Connected World

CHAPTER 1Brand Positioning: The Foundation for Building a Strong Brand

Alice M. Tybout

In 2012, Blue Apron pioneered the meal kit concept—a “dinner in a box” for an entire family that provides a recipe and all its premeasured ingredients in a refrigerated box delivered to customers’ front doors. The founders anticipated that Blue Apron would attract consumers who like to cook but who don’t have time for menu planning and shopping. They also felt that their novel concept would be perfect for those who wanted to cook but lacked confidence in their ability to find tasty, easy-to-prepare recipes.

As this example illustrates, a product or service concept and a targeted group of consumers create the foundation for developing a strong brand positioning. The positioning then articulates how the company would like consumers to think about a brand. It does so by framing the brand in terms of a familiar way of achieving a goal and highlighting a basis of superiority relative to other alternatives in the frame. For example, Blue Apron might be presented as a more efficient alternative to shopping and preparing dinner recipes, because all the meal’s ingredients are delivered to the home in exactly the right quantity. Alternatively, Blue Apron could be presented as a substitute for a takeout dinner that provides more family fun because family members can prepare the meal together using fresh ingredients.

As in the case of Blue Apron, a brand typically can be positioned in more than one way. ...