Break This: Brand Positioning

I'm amazed at how many people will accept the findings of an "expert" without doing any investigation into an issue themselves. Sure, the idea of having an expert give an opinion based on reason is valid and should be encouraged, but to what degree are we willing to go out and make our own opinion about the world around us?

An article in the Opinion section of The New York Times discusses the idea that Science is as much based on faith as religion. I won’t go any further with that line of thought, but the article brings up a good point about how we accept certain things in the education process without ever really asking why certain things are the way they are. And that’s just in the area of Mathematics and Physics.

I’m probably a little more cynical than I should be, but my point relates to product marketing. I turn on the TV to watch my favorite show and I’m bombarded with messages about how this product will do all these things to make my life better, or make me cooler, or prevent something bad from happening to me. These ads are based on some brand personality, in some cases inclusive with an “expert” finding, which solidifies the product’s position in the mind of the consumer and gets us to buy their product without much thought about the claim.

The real question is whether the utility of the product matches the hype. Based only on taste, can you tell the difference between your favorite brand of root beer and the others? I think we, as consumers, would be much better served if we did a few blind taste tests for ourselves. In fact, I think we owe it to ourselves to question the “facts” about the things we take for granted. If nothing else, "the proof is in the pudding.”

So go ahead and break Brand Positioning. You might just find a new favorite....