POSITIONING:CAN A FLASHY MADISON AVENUE TECHNIQUE FIND HAPPINESS INTHE WORLD OF VALUE METHODOLOGY?

摘要

Positioning has been touted as the world's most important business strategy. It providesmarketers with a strategy that addresses the natural ability of a buyer's mind to screen new dataand reject that which it can't easily assimilate. Positioning uses this natural mechanism to createan opening for a product that improves its chances for success.How does positioning work? Is it applicable to corporate and government decision-makers? Canvalue methodology study teams use this technique to 'sell' their ideas to decision-makers whoare just as overloaded as the average consumer?This paper answers these questions and concludes that positioning is indeed a valid strategy thatcan be employed to enhance the application of the value methodology. It works by forcing theteam to look into the mind of the decision-maker; understand the values, concerns, and attitudesthat will shape his consideration of relevant information; and then position theirrecommendations accordingly.With the proper foresight, the use of positioning as a selling strategy affects the entire valuemethodology process. If the team hopes to position its recommendations effectively, it must usethe Pre-study and Information Phases to better understand the decision-maker's experiences,attitudes, and beliefs. As a result, the team will be more attuned to the decision-maker's