A game of bridge

This is about Brand Positioning. Relax, I am not going to insult your intelligence by telling you what positioning is but rather present a new way of positioning brands. It goes by the name Bridged Positioning.

No, this is not one more jargon intended to make marketing look and feel like science. Bridging is the technique to position or reposition brands optimally. Optimally in the sense that the brand will then make the widest, most powerful appeal to its target. The concept itself is a result of studying successful positionings of brands around the world. This is not just a new term but an all-new way of positioning brands. Believe me, this one makes sense, and more importantly it works. Read on.

The basic premise of bridged positioning is that every brand promise consists of a functional and psychological component. And the attempt is to find that single word or phrase that captures both and ties it intrinsically to the brand.

Put differently, bridging is the process whereby a key functional component of a product is bridged to a relevant and credible psychological satisfaction derived by it. And the bridged term will most effectively communicate the totality of what the brand offers and what it stands for.

Let’s take an example. Colgate is PROTECTION.

Is protection a functional promise? I understand it is.

Is protection psychological as well? You bet it is.

Now here is a positioning that promises functional utility to the user and also satisfies the psychological feeling of being protected. That is bridged positioning. And the beauty of this technique is that the two fundamental components are captured in a single word.

That is the hallmark of bridged positioning. The functional and psychological benefits of a brand encapsulated by a single word or phrase.

Allow me to present a few examples; immensely successful ones.

Heineken is REFRESHMENT.
Pond’s Body Lotion is SOFTNESS.
Scooty is FREEDOM.
Kingfisher is FUN.

Study the bridged position these brands have occupied. Softness is as much functional as it is psychological. Freedom is physical and psychological as well. Needless to say, these brands are able to satisfy the functional and psychological aspects of a purchase and expectedly have become leaders in their respective categories.

You see, consumers will never look at a component individually – always in a total context. They will judge function in the context of the psychological element and vice versa. As the user responds to whole gestalt, these elements support each other and are consistent. They fit perfectly.

Bridged positioning is a big, relevant, motivating and unifying idea. The integrated idea is the bridged need.

Dettol is PROTECTION.
Johnson & Johnson is CARE.
Suffola is HEALTH.
Sharan Plywood is STRENGTH.

These brands have been able to capture both the functional and psychological aspects of purchase in a single word. Study successful brands and you would find most of them holding bridged positions.

In short, Bridged positioning is about the integration of the two key needs of any purchase – functional and psychological - and therein lies its power and persuasive ability to woo customers.

I am not for a minute saying, only bridged positioning succeeds. All I am saying is bridged positioning increases your chances of success in the marketplace. Triumphant brands bear this truth.

Before I sign off, let me present a few such integrated concepts that are as much functional as they are psychological.

Attractiveness, Success, Safety, Admiration, Power, Security, Celebration…

If you agree these are bridged terms, you might also be able to spot brands that have appropriated them to rule their respective categories.

Give it a thought, will you.