Sometimes there are no unique positions for you to carve out for your business
, and in such cases, authors Ries and Trout suggest that you have to reposition a competitor by convincing consumers to view the competitor in a different way, but understand that repositioning the competitor is different from a comparative, since comparative advertising seeks to convince the consumer that one brand is simply better than another, and consumers by nature are not likely to be receptive to such a tactic. That’s because there’s a psychological flaw in the advertiser’s reasoning which the consumer prospect is quick to detect and ask, “If your product is so good, how come it’s not the leader?” and a deeper look at comparative ads suggests why most them aren’t effective, as they fail to reposition the competition.
Let’s look at successful repositioning, as Tylenol successfully repositioned aspirin by running advertisements explaining the negative side effects of aspirin:
“For the millions who should not take aspirin, if your stomach is easily upset… or you have an ulcer… or you suffer from asthma, allergies, or iron deficiency anemia, it makes sense to check with your doctor before you take aspirin. Aspirin can irritate the stomach lining, trigger asthmatic or allergic reactions, and cost small amounts of hidden gastrointestinal bleeding. Fortunately, there is Tylenol…”
You should notice there are six words of ad copy before any mention of the advertiser’s product, and sales of Tylenol took off, and as a result, today, Tylenol is the number one brand of analgesic.
Consumers naturally tend to perceive the origin of a product by its name rather than reading the label to find out where it really is made, and such was the case with vodka when most of vodka brands sold in the US were made in the US, but had a Russian name. Stolichnaya Russian vodka successfully repositioned its Russian sounding competitors by exposing the fact that they all actually were made in the US (by listing the cities they were produced in) and that Stolichnaya was made in Leningrad, Russia.
When Pringle’s newfangled potato chips were introduced, they quickly gained market share, however, Wise potato chips successfully repositioned Pringles in the mind of consumers by listing some of Pringles non-natural ingredients that sounded like harsh chemicals, even though they were not, and Wise potato chips of course, simply contained only “Potatoes, vegetable oil, and Salt,” and as a result of this advertising, Pringles quickly lost market share, with consumers complaining that Pringles tasted like cardboard, most likely as a consequence of their thinking about all those unnatural ingredients.
It may come as a surprise to you that one of the most effective ways to get into a prospect’s mind is to first admit a negative and then to twist it into a positive, because first and foremost, candor is very disarming to natural consumer skepticism, and every negative statements you make about yourself is instantly accepted as truth, but positive statements, on the other hand, are looked at as dubious at best, especially in an advertisement, for instance, successful campaigns include “Avis is only No. 2 in rental cars.” “With a name like Smucker’s, it has to be good.”, “The 1970 VW will stay ugly longer.”, “Joy, the world’s most expensive perfume.”
Think back some years ago, to when Scope entered the mouthwash market with a “good-tasting” mouthwash, stating that Listerine’s leading product was responsible for “medicine breath.” Now think about what Listerine should do in response? It certainly couldn’t tell people that Listerine’s taste wasn’t all that bad, because that would raise a red flag that would reinforce a negative perception, instead, Listerine brilliantly invoked the law of candor: “The taste you hate twice a day.” Not only did the company admitted product tasted badly, it admitted that people actually hated it, and to set up the selling idea that Listerine “kills a lot of germs.” and a crisis was diverted by brilliantly using a heavy dose of candor to great success.
Understand that to reposition competition you must examine the market and examine closely all existing consumer perceptions about you and your competition, and as you look below the surface and find what might be obvious about the competition to you, how you deliver and state the obvious will have a lasting impact on your positioning in the market.