Aspirational and Inspirational Brand Positioning: a study towards emotional positioning from a consumer-perspective
(2015) BUSN39 20151Department of Business Administration
- Abstract
- The paper introduces two new terminologies (aspirational- and inspirational positioning) within the area of brand positioning that approach positioning from an
emotional and consumer perspective. For the implementation of these strategies a number of components are identified in this paper. These components together with their tools and their effects are summarised in a new model, named the AI Wheel of Positioning. The eight brand cases examined in this paper can be classified as inspirational and aspirational to different degrees, also leaving room for hybrid cases. We argue that it is not ideal to be positioned as the most inspirational or aspirational brand, but rather to follow a slightly mixed approach. However, we identified that... (More) - The paper introduces two new terminologies (aspirational- and inspirational positioning) within the area of brand positioning that approach positioning from an
emotional and consumer perspective. For the implementation of these strategies a number of components are identified in this paper. These components together with their tools and their effects are summarised in a new model, named the AI Wheel of Positioning. The eight brand cases examined in this paper can be classified as inspirational and aspirational to different degrees, also leaving room for hybrid cases. We argue that it is not ideal to be positioned as the most inspirational or aspirational brand, but rather to follow a slightly mixed approach. However, we identified that having an inspirational orientation within a brand’s positioning strategy allows to engage consumers in three ways: thinking, feeling and doing. An additional finding reveals that aspirational- and inspirational positioning are connected to a company’s orientation (Brand-oriented, Market-oriented, or both),
which allows implementing these strategies to different extents. Based on these findings this paper contributes to theory in the way that it provides an extended view on positioning that includes the customer's perspective, thus focusing on the ‘actual position’ of a brand. Additionally, the findings of this paper help to advance the research on emotional positioning by introducing the concepts of ‘inspiration’ and ‘aspiration’ as new emotional positioning strategies into the field of branding. In terms of managerial contributions, this paper provides managers with an understanding of two new positioning strategies that allow them to respond to consumers need for an emotional and relational bond. In particular, the derived model for both positioning strategies can act as a tool for brand managers to implement emotional positioning and thereby better align the brand’s‘wanted’ with its ‘actual’ position. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/5471884
- author
- Paulikaite, Marija LU and Wölk, Linda LU
- supervisor
-
- Mats Urde LU
- organization
- course
- BUSN39 20151
- year
- 2015
- type
- H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
- subject
- keywords
- Brand Positioning, Aspirational Positioning, Inspirational Positioning, Consumer-Perspective Positioning, Emotional Positioning
- language
- English
- id
- 5471884
- date added to LUP
- 2015-06-26 16:31:57
- date last changed
- 2015-06-26 16:31:57
@misc{5471884,
abstract = {{The paper introduces two new terminologies (aspirational- and inspirational positioning) within the area of brand positioning that approach positioning from an
emotional and consumer perspective. For the implementation of these strategies a number of components are identified in this paper. These components together with their tools and their effects are summarised in a new model, named the AI Wheel of Positioning. The eight brand cases examined in this paper can be classified as inspirational and aspirational to different degrees, also leaving room for hybrid cases. We argue that it is not ideal to be positioned as the most inspirational or aspirational brand, but rather to follow a slightly mixed approach. However, we identified that having an inspirational orientation within a brand’s positioning strategy allows to engage consumers in three ways: thinking, feeling and doing. An additional finding reveals that aspirational- and inspirational positioning are connected to a company’s orientation (Brand-oriented, Market-oriented, or both),
which allows implementing these strategies to different extents. Based on these findings this paper contributes to theory in the way that it provides an extended view on positioning that includes the customer's perspective, thus focusing on the ‘actual position’ of a brand. Additionally, the findings of this paper help to advance the research on emotional positioning by introducing the concepts of ‘inspiration’ and ‘aspiration’ as new emotional positioning strategies into the field of branding. In terms of managerial contributions, this paper provides managers with an understanding of two new positioning strategies that allow them to respond to consumers need for an emotional and relational bond. In particular, the derived model for both positioning strategies can act as a tool for brand managers to implement emotional positioning and thereby better align the brand’s‘wanted’ with its ‘actual’ position.}},
author = {{Paulikaite, Marija and Wölk, Linda}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Aspirational and Inspirational Brand Positioning: a study towards emotional positioning from a consumer-perspective}},
year = {{2015}},
}