Positioning: Persona-to-Market Approach

Taking the basis of OP 105, Persona-to-Market approach follows finding space for positioning an identity using personas it finds resonance or engagement with.

To begin, first it is required by the identity to have its functional clarity. This ensures while discovering new spaces and making positioning decisions that the identity does not lose its authenticity. For the same the following must be noted down:

1. Operational Values: These emotional values express how the identity performs, functions, from its own end.

2. Core Positioning Value Requirements: These emotional values are an expected prerequisite from personas for a successful engagement with the identity.

Next, we identify all the types of personas that engage with the identity and differentiate them on the basis of the dynamic emotional space (see Terminologies) the identity holds with each of them. These are called Engagement Profiles. The engagement profiles are to be mapped on different orbits around the identity in the following way:

Engagement profiles are both points of contact and positioning markers on the exposure orbits.

Exposure Orbits: These mark how closely certain emotional values are held by the identity. Higher the degree of resonance with the core emotional values of the identity, the more exposed to the identity is the experience with its engagement.

So the closer an orbit is to the identity at the centre, the higher the intimacy, the higher the access cost, the more the identity’s presence is received by the engagement profile on that orbit. As you move outward, the format becomes lighter, the audience broader, the entry points simpler.

Now for each engagement profile note down attributes with respect to the following components:

1. Positioning Experience: The overall experience by the engagement profile. For eg. luxury, exclusive, premium, niche.

2. Format: The kind of platforms/spaces that provide structure through which engagement occurs. It’s like a container for interaction, for eg. workshop, podcast, one-on-one session, retail store, retreat.

3. Access Point: How the engagement profile gains access to the identity, for eg. via referral, website, contact information, mall, partnerships.

4. Positioning Values: The emotional values through which the identity presents itself to the engagement profile for connection. It’s the kind of values that the engagement profile seeks/feels drawn to consciously.

5. Shared Emotional Values: The emotional values that are the basis for the connection formed (see for reference OP 101). Both the identity and the engagement profile hold these values in their emotional space.

6. Exposure Points: Spaces where the engagement profile receives the identity’s presence, even if just the knowledge of it, for eg. advertisement, marketing event, referral, social media.

With the information from the steps above, positioning can be decided in the following ways:

This is the most basic approach that works mostly on resonance between emotional values of personas and identity. It helps in discovering spaces for collaboration via the steps below:

• Recognise Engagement Profiles (from STEP 2) you want to target, select the most resonant personas from it and find out about the spaces where they engage.

• Note down the Emotional Values of all these spaces

• Identify the spaces that align with Shared Emotional Values (from STEP 3 pt. 5) to find spaces suiting the identity without losing essence for collaboration.

To decide on positioning, the following components require clarity through selection of one or more attributes identified in STEP 3 of target Engagement Profile:

• Shared Ev: what values are shared for experiencing?

• Exposure Point: where does the identity show up?

• Positioning Values: with what intention does the identity show up?

• Access Point: how does the target reach out?

• Format: how is the identity engaging?

Any combination of different attributes of all the above components together give positioning direction.

There are 3 ways to use the Exposure Orbits to create positioning strategies:

1. Direct Engagement

Identity enters and targets contact at the Exposure Orbit where the Engagement Profile exists directly. This approach requires knowing the target profile in detail, how they live, what they consume and what state they are in when they encounter the identity. Select your most liked personas from target profile and inquire:

• Experience at Exposure Point: What attracted them the first time the identity was mentioned to them?

• Positioning Value: What were they looking for then?

Extract the emotional values. Then map them against the identity’s emotional values. Recreate experience of the identified values as positioning.

2. Indirect Engagement

Identity enters and targets contact at different Exposure Orbits. It’s useful when the target engagement profile is harder to reach directly.

• Select target engagement profile in the inner orbit and entry point profile on the outer orbit.

• The target profile exists inside exposure point profile spaces as part of a collective.

• Use positioning values of target profile for the identity to show up in such spaces so as to resonate with something they already value and create a natural pull inward.

The intention is for the identity to meet the target profile where they already are, in a state where they are receptive.

For Indirect Engagement to work, movement between orbits must be easy. Someone who encounters the brand in an outer orbit engagement profile space must be able to find their way to an inner orbit engagement profile experience without friction.

3. Combination Engagement

Identity enters and targets contact between two Exposure Orbits, combining the attributes of the two.

Identify spaces that exist between two exposure orbits, where certain shared emotional values overlap between two engagement profiles of the two orbits and present the identity for engagement using overlapping positioning values.

4. Progressive Engagement

Orbit Progression: moving someone inward over time.

The orbits can also describe a journey, from outer to inner, that can be designed.

An approach other than “how do I reach this person” can be “how do I move this person closer over time”. Which means every touchpoint in a wider orbit needs to be consciously designed to create readiness for the next one.

The Orbits can be experimented with in different ways. There is potentially a reverse direction worth naming: Using inner orbit personas to activate outer ones, word of mouth and referral as an orbit strategy, moving outward intentionally.