Editing Positioning (marketing) (section)

==Definitions==

[[David Ogilvy (businessman)|David Ogilvy]] noted that while there was no real consensus as to the meaning of positioning among marketing experts, his definition is "what a product does, and who it is for". For instance, [[Dove (toiletries)|Dove]] has been successfully positioned as a bar of soap for women with dry hands, vs. a product for men with dirty hands.<ref name="Ogilvy 1983 p. 12">{{cite book|author=David Ogilvy|title=Ogilvy on Advertising|date=1983|publisher=Vintage Books|page=12}}</ref>

[[Al Ries]] and [[Jack Trout]] advanced several definitions of positioning. In an article, ''Industrial Marketing'', published in 1969, [[Jack Trout]] stated that positioning is a mental device used by consumers to simplify information inputs and store new information in a logical place. He said this is important because the typical consumer is overwhelmed with unwanted advertising, and has a natural tendency to discard all information that does not immediately find a comfortable (and empty) slot in their mind.<ref>{{cite journal | author=Jack Trout | title=Positioning" is a game people play in today's me-too market place | journal=Industrial Marketing | year=1969 |  pages=51–55 }}</ref> In ''Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind'', the duo expanded the definition as "an organized system for finding a window in the mind. It is based on the concept that communication can only take place at the right time and under the right circumstances".<ref>{{cite book|author1=Al Ries|author2=Jack Trout|title=Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QupddZiRKkUC|year=2001|publisher=McGraw Hill Professional|isbn=978-0-07-137358-6}}</ref>

Positioning is closely related to the concept of perceived value. In marketing, value is defined as the difference between a prospective customer's evaluation of the benefits and costs of one product when compared with others. Value can be expressed in numerous forms including product benefits, features, style, value for money.<ref>{{Cite book|title=marketing|year=2011|pages=147}}</ref>