How Do Leading Consumer Brands Leverage Strategic Positioning and Differentiation Strategies to Maintain a Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Highly Competitive Markets?
(2025) BUSN09 20251Department of Business Administration
- Abstract
- Businesses today face significant challenges in sustaining themselves amidst intense competitive pressures. In this context, strategic positioning and differentiation strategies are fundamental for companies seeking to set themselves apart and gain a competitive edge. This study focuses on how consumer brands in highly competitive markets, leverage these strategies to achieve a Sustainable Competitive Advantage. The central RQ guiding this study is:
“How do leading consumer brands leverage strategic positioning and differentiation strategies to maintain a sustainable competitive advantage in highly competitive markets?”
This research employed a qualitative multiple-case-study design, incorporating six leading consumer brands in the... (More) - Businesses today face significant challenges in sustaining themselves amidst intense competitive pressures. In this context, strategic positioning and differentiation strategies are fundamental for companies seeking to set themselves apart and gain a competitive edge. This study focuses on how consumer brands in highly competitive markets, leverage these strategies to achieve a Sustainable Competitive Advantage. The central RQ guiding this study is:
“How do leading consumer brands leverage strategic positioning and differentiation strategies to maintain a sustainable competitive advantage in highly competitive markets?”
This research employed a qualitative multiple-case-study design, incorporating six leading consumer brands in the Energy and Sport Drink sector operating in the North American and in the European market. Data was collected exclusively through secondary data analysis of publicly available sources. The analysis revealed that achieving and maintaining a Sustainable Competitive Advantage in competitive markets significantly depends on effective differentiation strategies supported by
unique, difficult-to-imitate resources and Business Model elements. The nvestigated brands Red Bull, Gatorade and Celsius exhibited elements of a Sustainable Competitive Advantage, while Powerade, Monster and Rockstar held Temporary Competitive Advantages. Further, the study highlights that a Sustainable Competitive Advantage stems from the synergistic interplay between strategy, resources and business model design, creating unique value propositions and
capturing value in ways competitors find challenging to replicate. This thesis contributes theoretically by offering a nuanced perspective on positioning strategies, showing how multiple strategic dimensions interact to create a Sustainable Competitive Advantage. Practically, it provides actionable insights for businesses on integrating strategic positioning, differentiation, value proposition, and Business Model concepts, suggesting that brands often integrate elements from multiple strategies rather than adhering to a single one, and
emphasizes the crucial role of understanding Customer Perceived Value. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9203122
- author
- Bartram, Julia LU and Höltermann, Julia LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- BUSN09 20251
- year
- 2025
- type
- H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
- subject
- keywords
- Strategic Positioning, Differentiation Strategies, Sustainable Competitive Advantage, Competitive Markets, Business Model, Value Dynamics, Porter’s Generic Strategies, Blue Ocean Strategy
- language
- English
- id
- 9203122
- date added to LUP
- 2025-06-19 13:19:17
- date last changed
- 2025-06-19 13:19:17
@misc{9203122,
abstract = {{Businesses today face significant challenges in sustaining themselves amidst intense competitive pressures. In this context, strategic positioning and differentiation strategies are fundamental for companies seeking to set themselves apart and gain a competitive edge. This study focuses on how consumer brands in highly competitive markets, leverage these strategies to achieve a Sustainable Competitive Advantage. The central RQ guiding this study is:
“How do leading consumer brands leverage strategic positioning and differentiation strategies to maintain a sustainable competitive advantage in highly competitive markets?”
This research employed a qualitative multiple-case-study design, incorporating six leading consumer brands in the Energy and Sport Drink sector operating in the North American and in the European market. Data was collected exclusively through secondary data analysis of publicly available sources. The analysis revealed that achieving and maintaining a Sustainable Competitive Advantage in competitive markets significantly depends on effective differentiation strategies supported by
unique, difficult-to-imitate resources and Business Model elements. The nvestigated brands Red Bull, Gatorade and Celsius exhibited elements of a Sustainable Competitive Advantage, while Powerade, Monster and Rockstar held Temporary Competitive Advantages. Further, the study highlights that a Sustainable Competitive Advantage stems from the synergistic interplay between strategy, resources and business model design, creating unique value propositions and
capturing value in ways competitors find challenging to replicate. This thesis contributes theoretically by offering a nuanced perspective on positioning strategies, showing how multiple strategic dimensions interact to create a Sustainable Competitive Advantage. Practically, it provides actionable insights for businesses on integrating strategic positioning, differentiation, value proposition, and Business Model concepts, suggesting that brands often integrate elements from multiple strategies rather than adhering to a single one, and
emphasizes the crucial role of understanding Customer Perceived Value.}},
author = {{Bartram, Julia and Höltermann, Julia}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{How Do Leading Consumer Brands Leverage Strategic Positioning and Differentiation Strategies to Maintain a Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Highly Competitive Markets?}},
year = {{2025}},
}