Does positioning really count? There are divergent views. Some feel that the whole idea of positioning is old-fashioned and under threat. It is assumed that a brand claims something and the target audience believes it. But this may not be valid always. Majority of people do not trust the marketers, but believe the feedback of their friends, online community or colleagues. In research, what is prioritised is the feedback about the product, rather than the company claims.

Earlier, there was the brand, consumer and a brand facilitator. There is a fourth factor — online community which has greater influence than the brand itself. The thumb rule now is 1c +9 c +90 c which means one per cent creates, 9 percent curates and 90 per cent consumes. While building the brand, the influencers and bloggers must be on your side.

There are positioning mistakes too. That happens when there is clutter in a category. If there are options, for each option, a different segment is tried. Where segmentation stops, positioning starts. Wrong positioning is able to create a market for the rival brand.