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Posts tagged consumer products marketing
International Franchise Association Emerging Franchise Conference: Warren Ellish Delivers Keynote Address
Great day in Dallas presenting the Keynote Address to the International Franchise Association Emerging Franchisor Conference. I enjoyed sharing insights on world-class branding and brand positioning with the future great franchise leaders. Great turnout and enthusiastic group. Met so many new wonderful people and some old friends at the conference. It is always a pleasure to add thought leadership to a great association.
Franchise Direct Interview With Cornell’s Warren Ellish
If you’re interested in brand positioning or branding, you may have come across the work of Warren Ellish, a renowned practitioner and speaker on brand positioning and branding, a faculty member at Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management and the President and CEO of Ellish Marketing Group. Mr. Ellish will be presenting his thoughts on brand positioning at the IFA Convention February 13, 2012 (a week from today) at 10:15AM, and we thought it might be a good opportunity to ask him a few questions about brand positioning and branding as well as his thoughts on the session he’ll be presenting at #IFA2012. Full interview at: http://www.franchisedirect.com/blog/franchise-direct-interview-with-cornells-warren-ellish/
Marketing: Brand Positioning – Is your brand strategically positioned with its message clearly communicated?
Is your brand strategically positioned with its message clearly communicated?
Are you sure?
The effective development of brand positioning for any brand will aid in getting your desired message across and make an impression that lasts. Positioning is the way in which you want the consumer to think about your business (products and services) relative to competing brands. It is the most basic of all strategic statements, provides the blueprint for the marketing and development of the brand, and focuses the efforts of all those involved in brand activities.
Without a concise brand positioning statement with a competitive “point of difference” and complete management alignment behind this positioning, it will be difficult to communicate a clear and meaningful message about your brand. A brand must make a strong impression that lasts and translates into profitable sales and long-term growth.
You don’t have to embark on a lengthy and expensive consumer research study to find out. Just try this quick and easy exercise. You may be surprised by what you learn.
Ask each of your direct reports, each member of your marketing organization, and key external strategic and creative resources (including key consultants and all ad agency team members) to answer the following three questions:
- What business is your brand in? Your “frame of reference”.
- What is the “target market” for your brand?
- What are the “points of difference” for your brand? Note: List no more than three.
Analyze your results (or have the submissions sent to me and I will analyze them for you). If you observe either or both of the following, your brand positioning can most definitely be strengthened:
- Significant inconsistency in the answers to most if not all of the above three questions.
- “Points of difference” that are really “points of similarity” to your competition or simply “points of entry” in your business – and not pre-emptive, ownable and defendable attributes that are important to your target market.
I understand that you and your team know your business better than any outside consultant, marketing or advertising company does. Where I can assist you is by starting with my proprietary one-day positioning methodology, working directly with you and members of your team, to clearly state and communicate the core elements of a successful positioning for your brand. The end result will be the development of a concise positioning statement, agreed upon by your core management team that reflects the following three elements:
- Target market (the customers you are marketing your products/services to)
- Frame of Reference/Competitive set (what business you are in)
- Point(s) of difference (the specific consumer benefit that is preemptive, ownable and defendable that you want consumers to associate most readily with your products/services).
The positioning statement will be summarized into the following format:
To _______________ (Market Target), Brand X is the brand of _________________ (Frame of Reference) that is/that offers ________________ (Point of Difference).
Your brand will be in good company. I’ve used this approach to successfully position hundreds of well-known brands for a diverse group of companies, from Fortune 500’s to start-ups and turnarounds. Our positioning work includes international, national, regional and local brands across many industries.
You can also hear me speak more about “The Three Critical Steps to Positioning Your Franchise or Restaurant Into a World-Class Brand” at the upcoming International Franchise Association (IFA) Convention in Orlando, FL on February 13th and at the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show in Chicago, IL on May 7th.
For more information on how to quickly and affordably properly position your brand to compete successfully in today’s competitive marketplace visit www.ellishmarketing.com, or reach me directly at 303-762-0360 or moc.gnitekramhsillenull@hsille.nerraw.
Ellish Marketing Group Announces Launch of New Website; Brings a New Approach to Being Social and Showcasing Client Successes
Ellish Marketing Group (EMG), a leading authority on brand positioning and marketing to a wide range of businesses including restaurants, dental practices, retailers and consumer product companies, today announced the launch of its new website at www.ellishmarketing.com. The new website will be available on all traditional and mobile platforms.
The new EMG website contains over a dozen success stories featuring examples of positioning brands to effectively compete in today’s competitive marketplace, identifying breakthrough consumer insights, launching new concepts and products, and revitalizing turnaround businesses.
Marketing speaker Warren Ellish, a well-respected practitioner and lecturer on the topic of brand positioning (Cornell University Johnson Graduate School of Management faculty), who is personally responsible for developing the brand positioning for hundreds of well-known international, domestic, regional and local brands is also featured in the website. His upcoming speaking engagements at the International Franchise Association Convention, the National Restaurant Association Show and at top business schools are highlighted.
“The new Ellish Marketing Group website clearly communicates our marketing and consulting core practice areas and discusses the successes we have had with our clients using our Six-Point Approach of positioning, focusing, planning, developing, executing and evaluating,” said Warren Ellish Founder, President and CEO of Ellish Marketing Group. “Our internally developed website brings a new approach to websites being social.”
Special thanks go out to EMG team members Jim, Jeff, Jason (our three J’s) and Lauren for making the new site a reality.
Check it out – New website launched
0Today marks the launch of our new website at www.ellishmarketing.com. Please check out the new website and let us know what you think.
As a leading authority on brand positioning and marketing to a wide range of businesses including restaurants, dental practices, retailers and consumer product companies, we will be blogging on subjects relevant to these core practice areas.
The new EMG website contains over a dozen success stories featuring examples of positioning brands to effectively compete in today’s competitive marketplace, identifying breakthrough consumer insights, launching new concepts and products, and revitalizing turnaround businesses.
Marketing speaker Warren Ellish, a well-respected practitioner and lecturer on the topic of brand positioning (Cornell University Johnson Graduate School of Management faculty), who is personally responsible for developing the brand positioning for hundreds of well-known international, domestic, regional and local brands is also featured in the website. His upcoming speaking engagements at the International Franchise Association Convention, the National Restaurant Association Show and at top business schools are highlighted.
“The new Ellish Marketing Group website clearly communicates our marketing and consulting core practice areas and discusses the successes we have had with our clients using our Six-Point Approach of positioning, focusing, planning, developing, executing and evaluating,” said Warren Ellish Founder, President and CEO of Ellish Marketing Group. “Our internally developed website brings a new approach to websites being social.”
Special thanks go out to the EMG team of Jim, Jeff, Jason (our three J’s) and Lauren for making the new site a reality.