Time based Positioning

Time as a parameter to differentiate in the market is quite common  strategy. The Nestle India with Maggie brand set the trend. The birth of Maggie was never to replace the noodles, pasta and other snacks from the market. The targeted need was of a snack that can be cooked easily and take lesser processing time. The brand position of Maggie “Two Minutes” worked for the success of Maggie. The time as a brand position formula since then became a focus point for the marketers. Most of the product categories from pimple cream to fairness cream to pain balms were the targeted for the time based positioning. Fair & Lovely of HLL got its position as a feminine fairness cream that gives result in 7 days. Paras with tagline “Ek Minute Move Ki Maalish” positioned Move as a brand that can make you to be on time in school and office. Sundrop of Agro Tech Foods Ltd is positioned as edible oil that helps in controlling the cholesterol level with in one month. Paras with Recova a cream which will make you look younger in 30 nights is competing with HLL’s Ponds Age Miracle that is positioned to show its

effect just 7 days. If you remember the advertisement of Pepsodent toothpaste in which HLL has positioned it as toothpaste which will keep fighting with germs for 24 hours. Even OTC drug market is not left untouched with the time positioning. Crocin and Disprin are positioned as pain killer which will show effect in one minute. Eno was positioned as a brand that will give relief from acidity instantly. The inside strategy to opt brands for time based positioning depends on two parameters; urgency of performance and congruence with life style. Urgency for performance defines how much the performance of a

product is urgent to the consumers. The performance can be before consumption (process) or after consumption. On the other hand, congruence of life style indicates with what degree the product is

matching with the life style of the consumers. The combination will give the right brand list to be positioned on performance time. The example of brand Sundrop by Argo Tech Foods Ltd as an edible oil

that will reduce the cholesterol level with in one month is a good brand position on time bases. The urgency of performance is high in this case and the life style is perfectly matching. Now professional has no time for exercise due to busy schedule. Increase in the rate of heart disease making the urgency of performance higher. In case of Sunflower oil every thing was perfectly fine except the time bound performance. The appeal of Sundrop is rational while that of Sunflower is emotional. The best example for competition on time base positioned brands is of Recova and Ponds age miracle. The time position is performance with in seven days. If the problem will come to Recova from any angle, it will be distribution system where HLL has a competitive advantage. The possibility of this is quite lesser as both the products are positioned for women who are conscious for groomed looks. The segment is restricted to some major cities. For brands like Disprin, ENO and Move, this type of brand position is quite efficient because the urgency is extremely high. Take a fictitious example of two pain reliever OTC brands which have the same benefits but only one of them is positioned on quick relief (time based performance). Which one will you buy?

The next step in time based positioning is to decide whether to position on specific or vague time. The specific time based position quantifies the time for instance: 1 minute, 30 Days and 7 days. On the

other hand vague time based positioning is all about using the verbs like quick, fast and instant. Example for vague time position is of brand Sterpsils tables for soar throat. The choice between two types

of position depends upon the confidence of performance and risk taking capability of company. Guess what will happen if P&G promotes Tide detergent power as a product that will remove all stains from the

cloths with in one minute after dip. What will happen if CavinKare position Indica dye as a product whose effect will last for 30 days. The time based positioning is quite common in the brands of Paras for

instance: Recova, Krack Cream and Move. But in the case of Krack cream it did not work due to non performance of brand. The position must be endorsed by the performance of the brand for longevity of the brand position and user imagery. Now you have hardly seen the advertisement of the Krack cream.

The major issue that comes with the products positioned on the time bases is about brand extension. In the mind set of consumers a child brand inherits the major promises of parent brand. Disprin is

positioned for instant headache relief and the brand is excellent in performance. What if the new variant of Disprin for body-ache does not deliver performance on time (instant). The recent position of ZEE Cinema is on time bases. The advertisement promotes ZEE Cinema as a channel on which the

movies start on time. This brand position will hardly make any difference as there is any urgency about the service. Let’s see for how many days this position runs. In the case of Maggie it was the process

time which was positioned. Process base time position quantifies time of processing competitively. No traditional noodle can be cooked faster than Maggie. When suggest the time base position for process.

Remember the urgency of performance and life style congruence.