Positioning
Positioning involves holistically assessing what a brand represents to current and potential customers, relative to its competition. Because positioning is communicated to people as part of a brand's overall messaging strategy, positioning research is often conducted in tandem with core message testing.
The practice of positioning involves effectively conveying a cohesive product identity that embraces both tangible factors, such as price, as well as non-tangible factors, such as value, assembled in a combination that is meaningful to customers. The result is an articulation of the brand that is perceived in the marketplace as both logically and emotionally appealing.
Qualitative research is the appropriate approach to assessing a brand's initial position in the marketplace because exploration of relevance and appeal requires flexibility in both methodology and execution.