One of the biggest challenges when considering a brand positioning is how to be appropriate across multiple customers and stakeholders. Our goal is always to define the brand’s mantra through a unified message. When dealing with multiple markets and targets this becomes even more important and challenging. The first step is to be certain that the brand positioning you plan to implement is relevant and distinctive for all potential targets. The core positioning must be strong, focused and clear for the brand to achieve its optimal potential.
The over-arching brand position, once identified, can then be communicated efficiently across different targets by utilizing customized sets of key messages. Since your customers are not exposed to the brand positioning directly, it is critical that message sets speak to and establish the correct market space in the minds of your customers. Messaging differently to the diverse audiences and markets allows the flexibility needed to establish a cohesive brand position. The messages selected should factor in market considerations, different audiences (including payers, patients and physicians) and the priorities of each audience.
The nature of the physician-patient interaction is at the core of the message platform. While the messaging to these two groups will be different, one must not overlook the confluence of those messages during their treatment dialog to avoid miscommunication.
Case in point: It is not uncommon for patients to request a product without recalling the brand name or distinctive brand identifying message. Patients describe their ‘recollection’ of commercials or other ads they’ve seen leaving the physician to interpret which brand is being described. If what the patient communicates is not correctly interpreted by the physician, a competitive product is prescribed.
In conclusion a global or multi-target brand should first develop a strong, focused and clear positioning that holds merit among all target groups while crafting a message platform relevant to each group that links the brand for all.
